


Deadly Connections

by nverland



Category: Actor RPF, The Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-01 22:59:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 42,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10931793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nverland/pseuds/nverland
Summary: AU.  There's a killer of young men on the loose. It's up to Sean to find him. But things are not quite what they seem.  A tale of love, jealousy, and revenge.Character List at end of first chapterOriginally posted at LiveJournal 10/2006-3/2007





	1. Chapter 1

Deadly Connections (1/25)  
Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)  


The phone ringing at 2:00am woke Sean out of a deep sleep. Rolling over, he snatched it up and growled into the receiver.

"This better be damned important."

"Detective Bean, sir? This is Officer Pennyworthy, Sir. There's been another one. The Captain told me to call you and ask you come down to the station as soon as possible."

Grumbling under his breath, Sean said to give him a half hour and he'd be down. Slamming the phone back in the cradle, he crawled out of bed and headed for the shower.

By the time Sean arrived at the station, his bad mood at being woken up had worsened, and he barely had the chance to visit the break room for some of the sludge that passed as coffee before Charlie Pennyworthy was at his heels. The youth had obviously gotten himself worked up already in the excitement of his first big case, and was practically jumping up and down.

"They found him by the water, Sir. It's a popular spot for-for boys like him to be after dark."

The detective nodded tiredly and took the file, glancing through the papers while saving the pictures for a time when he was more awake and could study them with a clear head.

"Who is 'they', Pennyworthy?"

"Two men, their-names are Jim Kelly and Benjamin Wayne. They were walking their dog along there like they do every night when they found the body. The victim hasn't been identified yet; the lab is still waiting on some things to come back."

Shuffling through the papers a little more, Sean closed the folder and looked at the excited officer.

"Why don't you save me some time here, Pennyworthy, and fill me in. I can see this looks like the work of the same person as the last two men we've found. How about a brief description of the victim this time. Age, height, weight, a guess how long he's been dead?"

Sean knew this early on, there wasn't going to be much information, but anything to make the younger man calm down and think would help.

"While we talk, what say we take a trip down to the crime scene and see what they've found so far?"

Grabbing his cup of coffee and jacket, Sean headed for the side entrance to the station, Officer Pennyworthy in tow.

"Well, he's 5-9, about 185 pounds, and looked to be middle twenties. We don't think he had been there longer than a few hours...the killer might have been in the crowd watching for all we know!"

Sean glanced at the other officer over the top of his car before he slid into the driver's seat. "That's not exactly a comforting thought, Pennyworthy."

"Um, right, Sir. Of course not, I didn't mean it that way, just that...considering the amount of time the body had been there, it, um, wouldn't have been unusual for the killer to be in the crowd, watching everything. That's all I meant, Sir."

"Mmmmm..." Sean murmured, mulling over that for a moment, but it really was a hopeless endeavor. They had hardly any clues which identified the killer, and only a slowly growing profile that said he was probably male, probably somewhere between twenty-five and fifty, probably fit, probably homosexual, but he could also be straight and, if so, was probably committing hate crimes...there were a hell of a lot of "probably's" and almost no actual facts.

As they arrived at the scene, there was still a fair-sized crowd watching the activities. Stepping out of the car and pinning his badge to his jacket, Sean muscled his way past several onlookers. One looked familiar, a middle-aged man with shaggy hair and an old army jacket. Sean couldn't quite place him until he was stepping over the police line and it came to him. He'd seen this guy before, in the crowd when the last body was found. Turning back to see if he could locate the man again, he realized that he wasn't there anymore.

"Pennyworthy, did you see that guy, the one with the long hair we just passed? Any idea where he went or who he is?"

When there was no response, Sean turned around only to find Pennyworthy off to the side, being interviewed by a young reporter in a short skirt and high heels who looked more like the fifteen year old daughter Sean hadn't seen in nearly a month than a professional woman doing her job.

"Pennyworthy!" He barked, setting a hand on the man's shoulder and yanking him away. He yelled to a uniformed officer to get the reporters off the beach. "There was a man. I've seen him before. He's got brownish, shaggy hair and was wearing an old, green army jacket with these patches all over it, about my height and build. Find him!"

He pushed the young officer away, then finally turned back to the scene, crouching down next to the sheet that still covered the body. Cate Johnston, the medical examiner for the county, came over and smiled tiredly. "We have to stop meeting like this, Detective."

"Funny," Sean remarked dryly, looking up at her. "What do we have?"

"Well, young Caucasian male, mid-twenties, nice looking, dead. What we can put together so far is that he'd been dead less than an hour when he was found. Looks like he was a working boy, from his outfit. Whoever killed him roughed him up a little first, looks like he struggled to get away before being stabbed. Can't say for sure until I do an autopsy, but I'm certain cause of death was a punctured artery. He bled to death."

"Not my chosen way to die. Any evidence of sexual abuse?" Sean looked almost hopeful; none of the other victims had been raped or even touched around their genital area, and if this one had, then that meant possibly it wasn't connected to his case. He would take anything; one murder was considered almost normal for California, two might have been just a coincidence, but three victims killed with almost the exact same M.O. was just about the time people started to panic.

Looking down at Sean still squatting next to the body, Cate stooped to his side in order for others to not hear them.

"I can't say for sure, not yet. But his clothing is intact, except where it was torn during the scuffle. I'll be checking for any evidence I can find, Sean. Maybe we got lucky and this one scratched the guy. Maybe we'll find a little DNA somewhere on him. But I'm betting whoever it is, it's the same guy, and he's cleaned up things pretty well."

"He always does," Sean sighed softly, slowly standing and rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Thanks, Cate. Just get the results back to me as soon as you can, all right?"

"Of course. And you get some sleep."

"Sleep? Ha." Sean shook his head, turning away just in time to see Pennyworthy slipping on the sand as he ran back, a small sheet of paper clutched in his hand.

"I couldn't find the guy," he panted out, leaning his hands on his knees for a moment, out of breath from his haste to please the detective. "But I asked around and I might have gotten some leads. Here's the names of a few people who live in this area. Some said they thought they might have seen him around, others had no idea who I was talking about."

"Thanks," Sean said, taking the paper and frowning at it.

"Excuse us, Detective, we need to move the body now," one of the men from the morgue said, touching Sean’s elbow.

"Yes, yes, of course."

Stepping out of the way, he watched as they placed the body in a bag and loaded it onto the stretcher.

As he stood watching the hearse leave, he shook out a cigarette and lit it. Inhaling deeply, he blew a long stream of smoke into the air, and headed back to his car, calling for Officer Pennyworthy to hurry up.

~tbc~

 

 

**Deadly Connections Cast:**

Detective Sean Bean-Sean Bean  
Medical Examiner Cate Johnston-Cate Blanchett  
Officer Charlie Pennyworthy-Sean Astin  
Psychic Viggo Mortensen-Viggo Mortensen  
Potential Victim Orlando Bloom-Orlando Bloom  
Killer-Keanu Reeves  
Sketch Artist Elijah-Elijah Wood  
Viggo's friend and mentor Johnny-Johnny Depp  
Sean's superior officer-Tommy Lee Jones  
Henry-Bernard Hill  
Margaret-Miranda Otto  
Madam-Kate Bosworth  
Neighbor Mr. Davies-John Rhys-Davies  
Officer Urban-Karl Urban  
Officer Parker-Craig Parker  
Reporter-Liv Tyler  
Doctor-Ian Holm  
Location-Santa Cruz, California


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. There's a killer of young men on the loose. It's up to Sean to find him. But things are not quite what they seem. A tale of love, jealousy, and revenge.  
> Character Cast at end of first chapter

Deadly Connections (2/25)  
Rating: PG – NC17 (PG this chapter)

 

Sean went back home to crash for a few hours before going out to try to track down some of the suspects Pennyworthy had gathered, leaving "the kid" to sniff out addresses and other contact information. The boy never seemed to need rest, so it suited Sean just fine to let him do the often monotonous work.

After a quick shower, he headed out the door to his partner's car, slipping into the seat silently and taking the cup of coffee and the bagel with cream cheese offered to him, thanking him begrudgingly.

After the first few bites of the still warm food--sometimes he wondered if his own partner would be a good target for the killer considering the care he took in kissing Sean's ass--he set the food back in the bag. "Who's our first stop?"

"Someone in the crowd pointed me to a couple who live about a half-mile from the beach. People walk by their house at all hours to get there, so it's possible they've at least seen either the victim or our mystery man in the crowd."

"What are we doing still sitting here, Pennyworthy? Daylight is wasting, get moving," Sean growled through his mouthful.

As they pulled up to the small house, they noticed the area. Clean, older, and a bit shabby. The yard had a wooden fence in need of paint, and an older sedan sat in the drive. Walking to the door, Sean straightened his jacket and tie and looked for a bell. Not seeing one, he opened the screen and knocked, closing the door again, and waited.

He could hear someone shuffling towards the door, and tried to put a smile on his face before whoever was there answered.

As the door creaked open, he was met by a very cautious looking older woman.

"Good morning, Ma'am," he said, pulling his badge out," I'm Detective Bean with the Santa Cruz police department. This is Officer Pennyworthy. We'd like to come in and ask you a few questions."

"Margaret, who's at the door," they could hear an older man call from inside.

"Police, Henry. They want to come in and talk to us."

Stepping back, Margaret opened the door and let the officers into the house.

"Margaret, you didn't walk out of the dressing room with clothes that hadn't been bought yet again, did you?" Henry muttered, coming out of the kitchen to peer at the officers.

"Henry, please. I haven't been shopping in weeks. Of course, not that you notice when I do wear new clothes."

Sean glanced at Pennyworthy before clearing his throat. "Sir, ma'am, it's not about clothes. We're just looking for some information, that's all."

"We don't have anything to do with those queers being murdered." Henry slowly moved to an arm chair by the television, sitting down in it. "This used to be a nice family neighborhood. Not so anymore."

"Sir, we don't suspect anyone right now. We just want to know if either of you could give us a lead," Pennyworthy said honestly, a bit too honestly for Sean's liking, but sometimes it worked.

"We don't know anything. Those kids were probably in the places their parents warned them about and they didn't listen and now they're dead." Margaret winced at Henry's coarse words, but the man paid no heed. "Probably got what they deserved. Now in my day-"

"Sir! I'm sorry we wasted your time. If either of you think of anything though, we would appreciate a call. Those boys' families deserve the small amount of comfort that they would get from knowing who the killer is." Sean handed the woman his card, his instinct telling him that she had more to say than Henry was letting her.

Glaring at her husband, Margaret took the card and showed the men to the door.

"Thank you for your time, ma'am," Sean said, "if you think of anything, maybe someone strange in the area or any noises that aren't common, anything at all, please give us a call."

Looking up, Margaret promised him that if she did, she'd let them know, and shut the door.

Getting back in the car, Sean waited for Pennyworthy to start the engine.

"She knows something, I'm sure of it. The nervous way she acted, and the looks she kept giving her husband, she's either seen or heard something."

"I'm sure she'll call us, Sir, soon as she has a chance to think about things a little."

"I hope you're right. Let's head back to the station. I'd like to talk to an artist about that man we saw last night. I've seen him before, at the last murder site. I'd like to see if we can find him, maybe see what he might know."

"Do you want me to run up a few of these addresses while you're doing that?"

Sean only gave him a sour look before returning to what was left of his breakfast. Pennyworthy sighed and started the car. "All right then. Stay in the station. Got'cha." the younger man mumbled under his breath, pressing his foot to the gas.

Once they got to the station, Pennyworthy watched as Sean weaved his way through the crowded desks and other officers easily, moving towards the back offices where the artists and profilers worked. He sighed and headed back to his desk and the mound of paperwork that was stacked there.

 

Walking to his office, Sean was stopped by the medical examiner, Cate.

"Sean, I have some initial reports back. I thought you might want them as soon as possible."

"Sure, Cate. Come in, have a seat, and let's see what you have."

The M.E. handed the folder of copies to Sean, giving him a quick summary as he flipped through them.

"Preliminary shows no signs of sexual assault. He has some fresh bruising and scrapes, showing that he put up a fight with the attacker. Cause of death was a punctured aorta. He bled to death rather rapidly. We checked for any signs of tissue under the nails, but they were cleaned out after the attack, just like last time. We did some scraping anyway, just in case he missed anything."

Sean sighed and rubbed his forehead. "So it's pretty much definite that it's the same guy. Wonderful. I was hoping you would have some good news."

"Well, I do have something."

Sean immediately perked up a bit at the teasing in Cate's voice; she always got an I-know-something-you-don't-know inflection in her tone when she had something, whether it was significant or possibly not.

"And that is?"

"This." She took out a small baggy, where one dark fiber was tucked inside. "We're not sure yet where it's from. Could be from the victim, could be from the killer, could be from someone earlier in the night that's not remotely connected to our case. But it's something."

Taking the bag from her hand, Sean held it up to the light. Hard to tell exactly what color it was, but he was guessing it was going to be a dark green.

"Cate, this may not seem like much, but it's a start."

Standing, he gave her back the bag and asked her to run whatever tests forensics could think of to get them any help. After she left, he went back to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Yeah, this is Detective Bean. I need a sketch artist in my office."

Sitting down, he got out a stick of gum, unwrapping and shoving it into his mouth.

"All right, I heard that grumpy needed a sketch," came a much too cheery voice a few moments later, as Elijah Wood swung himself into one of the chairs in front of Sean's desk. "What's up? Have you finally given in to my desire to draw you naked?"

Sean actually chuckled, shaking his head. There was just something about Elijah that was as endearing as Pennyworthy was annoying. Maybe because Elijah was sincere, while Pennyworthy was just trying to get past the hell of being Sean Bean's partner. "No, sorry Elijah, not today. I look like shite, anyway."

"But that's normal for you. I like the look."

"Oh, ha. Funny. No, I'm afraid that this is strictly business. I need you to construct a face for me."

"All right. Lay it on me." Elijah smiled and got his pencil ready.

Sean leaned back in the chair, hands clasped behind his head, thinking.

"All right, male, I'm guessing mid-forty's, high cheek bones, deep set eyes, cleft in chin."

Elijah scribbled on his pad for a while, asking questions as he went about little details.

"What about his hair, Sir. Long short, bald?"

"Longish, and lighter. Can't tell you much about the eyes, it was dark out. Oh, and a scar-ran from below his nose through his upper lip. Right about here," he said, pointing to a spot on his own face.

Elijah drew a little more and turned the page for Sean to see. "Something like this?"

Sean sat up in his chair. Staring back at him was a very good likeness of the man he'd seen at each of the murder scenes. Now he just had to find him.

~tbc~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. There's a killer of young men on the loose. It's up to Sean to find him. But things are not quite what they seem. A tale of love, jealousy, and revenge.  
> Character Cast at end of first chapter

Deadly Connections (3/25)  
Rating: PG – NC17 (PG this chapter)

 

As Detective Bean was talking to Elijah, the sketch artist, at the station, the subject of his search was just waking up in his dingy little house. Stretching and swinging his legs to the side of the bed, he reached for his cigarettes, lighting one and sucking in a lungful smoke. As he rose and headed for the bathroom, his mind wandered over the previous night. The anger before and during the attack, and the pain and fear of the victim, made him ill. He finished emptying his bladder, dropping the cigarette into the toilet before flushing, and turned on the shower. Stepping under the hot spray, he tried to wash away the dirty feeling from seeing the young man die.

He rested his palms against the shower wall, leaning his body tiredly into the tiles and sighing softly. Sometimes he hated this part of his existence. The screams, the cries, the feeling of blood on his hands, a feeling he could never seem to clean away no matter how many times he tried. The smell was the worst; it haunted both his waking and dreaming hours, permeating his senses until all he knew was the stench of death.

Finally, the water now tepid and cooling rapidly, Viggo shut off the spray and grabbed a towel. Drying carefully, he ambled back to the bedroom and rummaged for some clean jeans and a shirt. Finally dressed, he headed to the kitchen for coffee and maybe food.

As he sat down, his mind wandered over the previous evening. He’d known this was the night something was going to happen. He had felt the tension and anger building for days. He could see the garish club, hear the loud noises again, even smell the sweat and smoke of the place. And the young man that was the target. Nice looking boy, but you could tell he was a hustler. The way he rubbed up against a person’s body, and finally the come-on. Didn't take long before they were leaving the building together. They walked the few blocks, and then he attacked. The boy put up a good struggle, better than the two before him, but he was no match for his companion.

Viggo had watched in horror as his mind saw the whole chain of events. He'd rushed to the sight, hoping he wasn't too late to save the young man. But by the time he got there, a crowd was already forming, and the killer was gone. He stayed to watch for a while, but when the police started arriving, he'd left. That one policeman, he'd seen him before, and this time he looked like he recognized Viggo.

The policeman. He sighed again and looked out the window at the morning mist. There was something about him, something that Viggo couldn't quite put his finger on, and that made him curious. He seemed so guarded and rough on the outside, but Viggo could sense that there was more under the surface.

He reached out and touched the cool window pane as if to assure himself he was still in his own body, feeling the sick waves of satisfaction from the killer roll over him. He was very happy with himself today. The police had no idea who they were dealing with, and panic was slowly starting to wind itself around the gay community.

If he could only see the guy, what he looked like, or where he was at. Anything that would help him stop what was happening. But all he saw was a tall, thin, shadowy figure, and a deeper voice. Nothing more...yet.

Getting up and washing out his dishes, leaving them to drain, Viggo grabbed his jacket and cigarettes, stuffing them in the pocket, and heading out the door, locked it carefully behind him. Maybe if he wandered around the places he'd seen last night, he might pick up some residual vibes that would help.

He walked slowly down towards the beach, finding that the fresh air helped to clear his head just a little. His eyes followed the line of old, slightly broken-down houses without actually seeing them, his vision still clogged with the sights from the night before. The nightclub was only a few blocks from the beach; the killer seemed to be getting braver, choosing targets closer and closer to his chosen dumping grounds. Viggo eyed the steel door barring entrance during the day, and slowly walked around back, knowing such places often left windows open during the day to air it out a bit. He smiled grimly at the small frame he was presented with, probably leading into a bathroom, and heaved himself up, his form slipping with just a bit of trouble through the window.

He landed on the grimy floor of the bathroom, the stale smell assaulting his senses, and yet it was almost a relief as it cleaned out what was left from the murder. He slowly walked forward, slipping out into the club's main floor, the huge space seeming lonely without the bright laser lights, smoke, thudding music, and writhing bodies.

As he wandered through the darkened building, he suddenly started to shake. The energy wasn't strong yet, but he could feel them. Moving further on, he picked up more and more from both the men, until his whole body felt like it was vibrating. Finally, as he got closer to the door, he got it, the anger and hatred seeping back into his mind. The feelings were so strong he turned and bolted back to the men's room, crawling back out the window and into the fresher air. Staggering a few feet away, he collapsed onto the grass and dropped his head into his hands. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to do this alone. He needed someone to talk to, someone he could trust.

Slowly rising, Viggo made his way back to the street, and headed towards his own neighborhood. When he got home, he sat at the table, phone in hand and tried to remember the number for his old friend, Johnny. Finally getting the numbers right, he dialed, hoping his mentor was home.

"Hello, Viggo. What took you so long to call?"

Viggo smiled. Johnny knew. Johnny always knew. "I don't know. Just stupid I guess."

"Apparently. So, what's been going on?"

Viggo exhaled slowly and started to tell Johnny about the last month or so, the dark feelings, the murky consciousness that kept slipping in and out of his own at the beginning before nearly consuming every minute of his life, the terror, the pain, and his frustration over not being able to do anything.

"I've told you before about the gift/curse aspect. You're very powerful, Viggo. I can give you some things that may help you, but...I get the feeling you don't actually want to block this guy, do you?"  
Viggo took a deep breath, thinking about how to answer Johnny.

"No....no I don't. I need to find the guy, make him stop what he's doing. But there's more. I think the police have started to notice me. I've gotten to where he's killing them too late, so far, and there's already a crowd there. This last time a policeman seemed to watch me. I'm worried they'll start to think I'm involved. Hell, Johnny, I'm confused and I don't know what to do."

"Vig...whatever you do, you can't let the police think you're involved in this thing. It's too dangerous. Your lifestyle doesn't exactly invoke the best of images, you know."

Viggo chuckled and glanced around his small living space. "I don't need anything more than this, Johnny. What would I do with it?"

"Yes, yes, I know, but that's not my point and you know it."

"I know. I just...I want you to tell me what to do."

"You also know I can't do that. I have an idea, but you might not like it; it'll probably take more than one try, and it's dangerous. You say you keep showing up to these places late, after he's already killed. I suspect that you've been fighting these feelings somewhat, even if unconsciously, because it's terrifying to think about letting them take over. So, I suggest you stop fighting. Let them invade you as much as possible, focus on them, feel them, become them. And see where it leads you."

Viggo shuddered at the thought of letting this madman into his mind further than he already was. The things he'd seen and felt up until now were bad enough. What would it be like to submerge himself in the killer’s mind?

"I'll think about it, Johnny. I promise. Thanks for the ear and the advice. I'm beat, think I'm going to try and get some rest. I'll talk to you later; let you know what I decide."

"All right, Vig. But if you do decide to try this, I want to be there. Let me know.”

“I will Johnny. I will. Thanks.”

“So other than this…how have you been?”

“I…I’ve been better, but all right.”

“You still miss him, don’t you?”

“Every day. I know you never met him but I think…I’m sure you would have liked him. Well…the him I knew.”

“Perhaps. But if he could hurt you like that…I’m not sure I would have wanted to know him.”

“Yea.”

Johnny sighed softly, sensing the conversation was at its end. “All right, I need to go. Remember what we talked about. Hang in there. And get some rest, man."

Viggo hung up the phone and stubbed out his cigarette. Stretching, he headed into the dark bedroom, kicking off his shoes and collapsing onto the bed. He was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. He'd have to worry about the discussion with Johnny another time.

~tbx~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. There's a killer of young men on the loose. It's up to Sean to find him. But things are not quite what they seem. A tale of love, jealousy, and revenge.  
> Character List at end of first chapter

Deadly Connections (4/25)  
Rating: PG – NC17 (PG this chapter)

 

Viggo's dreams were littered with disturbing images. He kept seeing a shadowy person, one he couldn't quite make out. He watched the man pace through an overly neat home; he knew what the man was thinking and could tell how scattered and disjointed those thoughts were. He watched, in an almost out of body-like way, as the man went to the pub, flirted with someone that Viggo couldn't quite see, and then took him away, only to see this person attacked and killed. He awoke with a start, knowing that the killer was already planning for his next victim.

In another part of town, Detective Bean also awoke with a start as he heard the sound of his daughter retching into the basin by her bed. The girl had been spending the weekend with her father, only to come down with a nasty case of the stomach bug.

'Sometimes I think Jennifer plans these things,' Sean thought, getting up from the uncomfortable desk chair he had nodded off in and going over to her, holding her hair gently out of the way with one hand while rubbing her back with the other. He honestly wouldn't have been surprised if his rather spiteful ex-wife was doing her very best to ruin the few hours he got to spend with their only child, Lisa.

Once finished, Sean gently eased the girl back into bed. "Do you want some more ice cubes to suck on?" he asked tenderly, retreating to the kitchen when the teen nodded tiredly.

He was just about to head back to her bedroom when the shrill ring of the phone startled him. He glanced at his watch; although it was a quarter to ten in the morning, he had made it clear that no one was to call him this weekend unless the situation was dire.

"What?" he growled into the phone, the ice-filled glass making his hand slowly freeze.

"Detective Bean? This is Pennyworthy, sir. We have a report of a break-in at a club near the murder scene. They have a man on tape, sir. I think you're going to want to see this."

Sean sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Does it have to be now, Pennyworthy? My daughter is sick and I don't want to leave her."

"Sir..." Pennyworthy trailed off, not wanting to continue, but the insinuation was clear. This was Sean's case, Sean's career, Sean's ass on the line.

"Fucking hell. Fine. Give me an hour." Sean hung up the phone with a bang, almost tearing the unit from the wall. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead in the wall, before picking up the handset again.

"Jenn? It's Sean...she's sick and I really need to go into work. I don't want to leave her alone."

"So? You're a parent too, Sean. Deal with it."

"Jenn, this is our daughter we're talking about. Come on. I need to go in... this can't wait." He winced at the loud sigh at the other end, but when he hung up he at least knew that she was on her way. He poked his head into his daughter's room and was relieved to see she was asleep. He wouldn't have to see the look that always broke his heart.

While he waited for his ex-wife to arrive, Sean quietly dressed and got ready for the office. He watched sadly as they pulled away from the house, wishing he'd chosen a profession that didn't demand so much of his time and energy. He was missing so much of watching his child grow up.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned to his own car and drove to the office, mulling over what they knew so far. They were staring at three murders, with very little to go on for clues.

Arriving at the station, he was met by Pennyworthy as soon as he made it in the front doors.

"So what's this tape that was so important I needed to send my sick daughter home with my enraged ex-wife?"

Pennyworthy shivered; Sean's temper was well known around the station, and he knew that the detective was just about to boil over. "A manager at Club Zero actually brought us two different tapes. The club was one that was often visited by the victim. The tapes aren't the greatest, but you can clearly see someone, probably male, crawl through an open bathroom window on one and then walk around the place on the other."

Sean stopped dead in the hallway, forcing several people who had been behind the two officers to come up short to avoid knocking into him. "You dragged me away from my only weekend this month with my kid for some asshole wandering around an empty club in the middle of the day? An asshole we can't even see because of the piss-poor security system the club decided not to spend money on?"

"Well, I-I will admit that when you put it that way it doesn't sound worth it," Pennyworthy stuttered, seeing his career go into the toilet in front of his eyes. "But I thought that-that...I mean, what-what if this person is the murderer, coming back to relive the capture? Surely it-it's worth a look?”

Glaring at the other man, Sean growled that as long as he was there, and since his weekend was ruined now anyway, that he'd have a look. But that it had better be worth it or someone was going to find himself back in a patrol car with a female partner, in a very nasty section of town.

Pennyworthy apologized again for bringing Sean in, and led him back to see what they had. He silently prayed that what he thought he'd seen on the tapes was really there.

Sitting in the dimly lit room, Sean watched the films, running them back and forth, staring intently at the small screen. Finally, he froze on a frame.

"Pennyworthy, I want a screen capture of this man. Try to get several of his face as clear as possible. I think you may have been onto something."

The young officer nearly deflated in relief. "Yes, sir," he murmured, reaching forward and ejecting the tape before sliding his chair over to the large computer imaging system across the room. Acutely aware of Sean's eyes on his back, he worked as quick but as carefully as he could. The last thing he needed was for the tape to get eaten or the system to go down.

He pushed his face closer to the screen, the only sound in the room being his hands on the keyboard as he commanded it to zoom in closer on one of the only clear shots of the man's head on the tape. The fuzziness got worse as it zoomed in, and he could almost feel Detective Bean's frustration mounting behind him.

"Can't you make that any clearer?"

"I will try, sir. In a minute." So back off, Pennyworth added silently. "It won't actually make it clearer, but the computer can create a full image from what it thinks it's seeing."

His hands flying over the keyboard, Pennyworthy worked to create the best images possible for Detective Bean. Finally, he had two that were not great, but reasonable. One from the restroom, and one from near the bar. Sitting back in his chair, he turned and looked at the Detective with a smug smile.

"Sir, I think I have something here you're going to like. I think your man from the other night was in this bar."

Sean came to stand behind Pennyworthy, bending to stare closer at the screen.

"Well, Pennyworthy, looks like you're right. Can you print those off and run them up to Wood? Let's see if he can give us a clear sketch to go with this. As soon as he's finished, I want copies of the photos and the sketch handed out to the officers in the area. I want this man found."

"Right on it, Sir."

Turning back to the equipment, Pennyworthy printed off several copies of the photos he'd gotten. Ejecting the tape, he headed upstairs to find Elijah.

The sketch artist was in his normal fine mood, some sugary sweet energy drink clutched in one hand, his pencil in the other, and his book of paper balanced on his lap. He peered at the picture presented to him, his sharp eyes immediately recognizing similarities to the face Sean had him draw once already.

"Old Bean is really obsessed with this case," Elijah mused, looking at the picture and then back at his sketch, the pencil scraping over the page. "Never seen him this focused before, and for once I don't think it has to do with Grumpy Jones."

Pennyworthy groaned and closed his eyes; just the thought of the ornery Captain made him shudder. Captain Tommy Jones was not someone to be crossed. He was rough, gruff, and exactly what Detective Bean was probably going to be in fifteen years. But yet despite, or more probably because of, their similarities, the two men never seemed to get along.

"Don't say that name, Wood. You know he has ears everywhere. All I need is for him to pop up and make Bean more miserable than he already is."

Elijah only clucked sympathetically, not having the heart to tell the poor young man that Jones was already waiting for Sean, and was not very happy.

~tbc~


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. There's a killer of young men on the loose. It's up to Sean to find him. But things are not quite what they seem. A tale of love, jealousy, and revenge.  
> Character list at end of first chapter

Deadly Connections (5/25)  
Rating: PG – NC17 (PG this chapter)

 

"Sean, I'm just not real sure what to do. You've been working this case for over a month, and yet you have basically nothing to show for it. No suspects, no names, no hints, no hunches, barely a witness interviewed.... how long are you just going to sit on this case with your thumb up your ass?"

Sean licked his lips, staring at a dent in the wall beside his captain's head. He knew Jones was an asshole, and he wasn't going to be baited into exploding too soon. They had participated in too many of these pissing contests before, and Sean was determined to win this one.

"Maybe I should take you off the case, Bean. People are getting scared. I can't have you fucking up this case. It's too big. The media is crawling all over it like flies on a fucking dead dog."

The other man could feel his hackles slowly raising at the suggestion that he should be removed from the case, and he bit down hard on his tongue. Not yet.

"Captain, we've been out all morning, talking to potential witnesses. We have a few photos of a man that we've seen in the crowds watching us, and a possible lead to find him for questioning. But there just isn't much for clues! This guy is clever, he can't seem to be identified, he's leaving no DNA, we have nothing to work with. We're hoping this new lead will help us. This guy may not know anything, but it can't be just a coincidence that he keeps showing up every time there's a dead body found."

"So you don't even know who this guy is yet? Why not?"

Sean stared at him in anger and frustration, raking a hand almost violently through his hair. "Tell me, Captain, were you ever actually a detective or were you just born a lazy, small-dicked idiot captain who just doesn't know how long an investigation really takes and has no interest in actually finding out?"

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!' Sean swore to himself in his head through the whole tirade, disappointed in himself for being the first to give in so early yet again.

"That, Detective Bean, will get you suspended. One more outburst like that, and you'll find yourself with a two week unpaid vacation, followed by spending the rest of your career with this department riding around in a patrol car. Do I make myself clear?"

Sean looked at the floor, trying to control his breathing. He knew he should have kept his mouth shut, but Jones always brought out the worst in him. He found it hard to believe they had once been close friends.

"Yes, Sir, crystal clear Sir. We only got the shots of this man a little bit ago. I have Pennyworthy up having Wood make some cleanup sketches from them. We plan on running them around the area, see what we can dig up. And Pennyworthy also has a few more people for us to interview. We'll be heading out right after lunch. Sir."

"That's good to hear, Bean. Very good to hear. Because if you don't have a suspect for me within a week, I'm removing you from this case, and all other cases, pending you actually being able to accomplish something. I'd say we'll start with you putting gas in every squad car from here, down the coast, and back again."

Jones could tell from the clenching and unclenching of Sean's jaw that the man was very close to exploding again. He smiled slowly, his eyes daring the other man to lose it, to get himself suspended, to give Jones an excuse to be rid of him.

But Sean only slowly relaxed his body, seemingly muscle by muscle considering the sheer length and effort it took him, before standing. "If you'll excuse me, Sir, I have a case to see to."

Turning on his heel, Sean headed out the door and back to his own desk. He'd just gotten settled again and was trying to find the bottle of aspirin he kept for after these meetings, when Pennyworthy showed up at his door, papers in hand.

"Sir, we have some very good sketches now. I recognized the man from them immediately. What do we do with them from here? I was thinking about copying them and passing them on...to...," he paused staring at Sean and the deep scowl on his face as he chewed the pills he'd just popped in his mouth. "Meeting with Jones didn't go very well, did it, Sir?"

"No Pennyworthy, no meeting with Captain Jones goes well. Let's just take copies of what you have and go see if we can find anyone to recognize this guy. I want a name and address for him today."  
"Right, sir. Today. Of course."

Sean could sense the younger man's skepticism, but there wasn't any way Sean was going to let Jones win. Sean was going to find the bastard and, if he had his way, have him booked and in custody for these murders by the end of the next day. Enough was enough.

Sean headed toward the garage, not bothering to see if Pennyworthy was following or not. "We're going back to see our old friends, Margaret and Henry."

As Sean stomped out the door, Pennyworthy grabbed an empty folder and followed, shoving the photos and sketches inside, all the while trying to keep up with the angry detective. Reaching the garage, he found Sean already starting the car, watching as Pennyworthy scrambled to follow before he could pull away.

"Sorry about that sir, had to gather the photos up before we left," he panted, as he crawled into the passenger seat and buckled up. "Should we call first? Let them know we are on our way? What if they aren't there?"

"They're home. Where else would they be? Doesn't look like old Henry ever leaves the place."

As they pulled into the driveway, they noticed the curtains dropping back into place, like the people inside had known they were getting guests. Knocking at the door, Sean waited for an answer with a nasty scowl on his face.

When Margaret opened the door, Sean was halfway through it before she could even get a word out. "You know something, ma'am. And in the interest of this case, I need to know what it is."

The woman looked around nervously, wringing her hands. "Please, detective, Henry is asleep. He - he would be upset if I knew I had answered the door let alone allowed you in our house."

Sean lowered his voice a bit, but fixed the woman with a steely gaze. "Let’s talk, ma'am. The last time we were here you seemed like you wanted to tell us something. You didn't. Say it now."

Margaret looked over her shoulder to make sure that all the noise hadn't brought Henry out to yell at her again. He'd been extremely unhappy after the last visit from the police.

"Let's step outside onto the porch. That way we won't be waking Henry up," she whispered.

Leading the officers back outside, Margaret carefully shut the door before speaking.

"Henry, he doesn't care for those poor boys that are being killed. Says it's God's way of getting rid of the filth in the world. Henry isn't a very understanding man."

"Yes, ma'am, we can appreciate that. But we need to hear what information you can share with us. Please," Sean asked, touching her arm lightly.

"There's this man. I see him sometimes in town, shopping and things. He buys barely enough food for one person to live on, let alone two, so he must live alone. I think he has a home somewhere, he always smells clean and everything, so I don't think he's homeless. I haven't seen him in a while. He's - he's a handsome man, would be more if he wasn't so exhausted-looking all the time."

Sean glanced at Pennyworthy and then back at the woman, wondering why she was concentrating her thoughts on this man. "Okay, that's a start. What else can you tell us?"

"He - he's like those boys. I saw him once, it-was a few years ago. He looked much better. Happier. He was with another man, a young kid, probably no older than those who are turning up - turning up dead. They were holding hands and kissing. When they saw me looking they pulled apart, but..."

Sean felt a slight excitement well up in his gut. "Will you look at some pictures for us, ma'am?"

Looking over her shoulder at the house again, Margaret turned back and held out her hand.

"Sure, why not. If I'm going to be in trouble, I might as well go all the way."

Taking the offered photo and sketch, Margaret stared at them for only a moment before handing them back.

"That's him. That's the man I told you about. I'm not sure where he lives, but it's somewhere near here, I'm sure. Haven't seen that cute young man he was with for some time, though. I should be getting back in. Henry will be up any time, and he doesn’t like it having police hanging around the house."

"Of course, ma'am. You've given us quite a bit to go on. Thank you." Sean stood and nodded at Pennyworthy, watching as the young man collected the pictures again. "You have my card. Please call me if you think of anything else."

Sean and Pennyworthy left the porch, but while Pennyworthy headed for the car, Sean turned and started down the block, towards the next house. "Um, Sir?"

"I told you, kid. We're finding a name and a location for this guy tonight. And that means we need to do some legwork. You do that half of the block," he pointed down the street in the opposite direction of where he was heading, “and I'll do this half. Call me if you find anything."

The young officer sighed. This was going to be a very long day.

~tbc~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character List at end of first chapter  
> Originally posted at LiveJournal 10/2006-3/2007

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

Two hours and 30 houses later, Sean and Pennyworthy were almost out of what they considered the range for finding any local information on their mystery man. Just as Sean was about to knock at the last door, Pennyworthy called to him from across the street.

"Sir, I think you want to come over here. I've got a man who thinks he knows this guy. And we've got a name."

Sean sighed heavily, flipping his phone closed and heading across the street to find Pennyworthy talking to a large middle-aged man in a tee-shirt and jeans.

"Detective Bean, this is John Davies. Mr. Davies was just telling me about the man in the photos."

"Pleased to meet you Detective. I was just telling this officer that it looks like Viggo. Quiet man, keeps to himself mostly. I believe he's an artist, not that he makes much money at it, or he wouldn’t be living in this neighborhood."

Sean stared down at the pictures. He finally had a name, Viggo. He took out his notebook, not that he felt he needed to actually write down the details. "What else can you tell me about him?"

"His last name is kind of funny, too. Mortensen, I think. Not an American name. I’ve got nothing against him, really. Hardly see him. But he is kind of weird. Never seems to have the lights on or anything, and I don't think he even owns a T.V. We never see the cable company or whatever at his house."

"He ever have people over?"

"Hardly ever. There's this one guy, kind of strange looking, long hair, another oddball. He comes by every few weeks, stays for a day or two, and then leaves."

Sean rubbed at his forehead. He could feel the beginnings of a headache, but there was no way he could let this go. This was the first break they'd had in the past month.

"So, Mr. Davies, do you have an address for this man, or can you give us directions?"

"Oh, of course. Sorry. He lives a couple of blocks over. Turn right at the corner, go down two blocks, make another right and he's in that little rundown looking white house in the middle of the block."

"Thank you, Mr. Davies. You've been very helpful. Here's my card. If you think of anything else, anything at all, please give me a call."

Davies nodded and watched the two leave, slipping the card in his pocket and going back inside, only to look out his upstairs window, where he could see the guy's house. He made it his business to know everything.

Sean had Pennyworthy go back for the car while he started walking towards the house. He wanted time to think without the younger man's incessant chatter. Viggo Mortensen. What the hell kind of a name was that? He smiled sardonically. A murderer's name, obviously.

Pennyworthy took his time, knowing that Bean needed his space. This could be the break they were looking for, and the older detective didn't need it ruined because he let his temper get the best of him. This killer was not going to get off on a technicality.

Sean had only gotten a half a block from the Davies house, walking slowly, when Pennyworthy caught up with him. Crawling into the younger man’s car, Sean asked him to wait a few moments before they drove to the house.

Sean looked over at the young man, watching him as he seemed to size up the situation. Pennyworthy had always been a hard worker, had done his very best to impress the older detective, much like a young sidekick would do with an older superhero boss. But Sean had no right to be treated like a superhero; in fact, he had been downright furious when Jones assigned him Charles Pennyworthy, a kid—a kid! —straight out of the academy and fresh off his mother's milk. But he had done everything Sean had ever asked of him, and more importantly had done his job, and Sean knew it was time to finally give him some respect.

"Charlie, we've been working this case together for the past month, and we've worked together on the last couple as well. I've gotten to value your opinion. This Mortensen sounds like an odd duck. But we know nothing about him. We have two options right now, and I'd like your opinion before deciding how to proceed. We can either go straight to the house, knock on the door and talk to him. Or we can locate the house and go back to the station to check him out first. Either way, we're going to talk to him. But a little background might help us."

Pennyworthy was pretty surprised at Sean’s change of attitude, and it took him a moment to respond. "I...I think we should find the house and then go back to the station and check him out. You're right; we don't know anything about him, how he might react. For all we know, he's got eight guns and a partridge in a pear tree in there. It wouldn't be wise to just show up on his doorstep, asking about a bunch of murdered kids."

"Good choice, Charlie. Let's go find the house, get a real address for him."

Pennyworthy nodded and put the car into gear. As they turned the corner down the street Mr. Davies had told them about, Pennyworthy slowed the car to a crawl and scanned the houses. Spotting one that fit the description pretty well, Sean made note of the number and street.

Pennyworthy sped the car back up and headed back for the station. Parking in the garage, they hurried back inside.

"Go grab some coffee, we're going to need it. Then meet me in my office."

By the time Pennyworthy got back to Sean's office, the detective had already booted up his computer and was in the state-wide database. The younger man arched an eyebrow and spoke without thinking.

"I'm impressed, sir. I didn't think you knew much about computers."

Sean looked up at him sardonically, and watched as Pennyworthy seemed to shrink into his shoes. He left the young man sweating for a few minutes, then turned his eyes back to the screen. "This old dog can still be taught some new tricks, Charlie. It just might take a little bit longer than when he was younger for him to grasp them."

"I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn't, sir. I just wasn't aware you knew anything about how.... I’m digging myself in deeper, aren't I?"

"That's fine, Charlie. Let's see what we can find on this Mortensen. I thought we'd start simple, say DMV records, run a criminal check, see what we can dig up. Anything interesting, we'll dig some more."

"Sounds like a plan, Sir."

Several hours later, the most they were able to come up with was that their suspect had an old parking ticket, which had been paid on time, was a registered voter, and had lived in the same house for the past 10 years.

"Well, Charlie, looks like he's been very careful up until now. What say we make a house call?"

Pennyworthy nodded and stood, grabbing his jacket and slowly following Bean back out to the car. "Seems like we spend half our lives in this thing, doesn't it?"

Sean actually chuckled softly. "That's because we do, Charlie. Something which Jones seems to have forgotten, the bastard; real police work takes time."

The younger man, while no longer shocked by the sudden switch to his first name, still found himself bemused by the change--yet he knew better than to ask, and only hummed in agreement. A part of him wanted to be angry at how long it had taken Sean to become more confident in him--he thought himself to be a very valuable asset--but another part of him actually seemed to understand where Sean was coming from.

"Been doing this way too long," he murmured under his breath with a slight snicker, slamming his door.

Meanwhile, Viggo had just woken up. He was still a little groggy, and headed for the shower. 'Maybe some hot water will help."

Stripping out of the baggy sweats and tee shirt he'd been sleeping in, he adjusted the water to a comfortable warmth and stepped inside. Turning to tip his head under the spray, he stood and let the water course down his body. Eyes closed, he let his mind wander, and it caught on the image of a young man he'd seen several times at Club Zero. Tall, lean but muscled, dark tousled hair. Just the thought was getting him worked up, and he unconsciously slipped his hand down across his chest, and grasped his awakening cock.

He could see the young man approaching him, running a soft hand down his body, the hand grasping his cock and pumping it teasingly. His skin was soft and the boy smelled of coconuts and sun, of beach and salt water. His hand would slip into his pants and there, in the darkness of the club, he would whisper dirty things in his ear, things such an angel should not know, things that would only make Viggo grow harder.

He moaned into the steam, the water hitting his body and caressing him everywhere as his own hand moved faster on his hard cock, imaging the boy going to his knees and engulfing him with his mouth, working to give Viggo the orgasm he desperately needed.

His mind filled with thoughts of his beautiful mystery lover, his hand tugged faster - harder on his weeping shaft, until he finally erupted, spattering the shower wall with his seed. He leaned his head against the wall, gasping for breath as the warm water washed away all traces of his release.

He was just starting to straighten up when he heard someone knocking at the front door. Shutting off the water and grabbing a towel, he started for the door. He'd just finished wrapping it around himself and tucking it in, when he looked through the front glass and saw two men in suits standing there, waiting.

"Shit. This can't be good," Viggo murmured, realizing that the taller man looked like the cop he kept seeing at the murder scenes. He closed his eyes briefly, then finally pulled open the door.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Mortensen? I'm Detective Sean Bean, this is Charles Pennyworthy. We're with the Santa Cruz police department. Can we come in?"

Sean was proud of himself for keeping his voice steady. Seeing his suspect before him, half naked and still wet from the shower was having more of an effect on him than he ever would have wanted to admit. He'd never seen him in daylight before, and other than the stubble that covered the man's jaw and the dark circles under his eyes, his was fucking gorgeous.

Viggo stepped aside and let the two men in, leading them into the living room.

"If you'd like to have a seat, I just got out of the shower, and I'd like to get dressed before we talk."

~tbc~


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character list at end of first chapter  
> Originally posted at LiveJournal 10/2006-3/2007

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

Sean glanced around the small living room from his spot on the old, faded couch, his eyes taking in the sparse details. The walls were bare except for a few small pieces of artwork, the blue paint behind the canvases having been washed by the sun until they were almost gray in color. Pennyworthy hadn't sat down yet, and was slowly pacing the room.

Sean reached forward, seeing a photograph on the main table that was overturned and lying on its glass side. He slowly turned it over in his hands to see a photograph of Mortensen and another man, their arms around each other, faces close. Mortensen looked, for lack of a better word, in love. The picture was only ruined by a large, jagged hole in the glass, as if the frame had been dropped or thrown at some point, and the damage was irreparable.

Pennyworthy, meanwhile, had suddenly stopped in front of one of the pieces, his eyebrow raising.

"Mr. Mortensen made this, sir."

Sean slowly stood and moved across the room. "He did?"

The younger man nodded and pointed to a small "VM" in the corner of the painting. "Maybe why his employment records were so spotty? He just takes jobs when he needs them..."

"Apparently his definition of 'needs' is different from mine," Sean murmured.

"Yes, well...I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, and the heat's on. What else do I need?" Viggo put in quietly, as he stood in the doorway behind them.

Turning from the painting, Sean took in the other man. His clothes were older and, while clean, were well worn. His hair brushed the top of his shirt, but was neatly combed. He had a light beard, like he hadn't shaved in a few days, bare feet, piercing blue eyes, and a scar on his upper lip.

"I suppose if that's enough to make you happy. It covers the necessities, in any case."

"So, Detective, what can I do for you? I'm sure you didn't stop by to view my art, or to discuss my living conditions."

Stepping away from the canvas, Sean pulled out his notepad and flipped it open.

"Mr. Mortensen, we'd like to ask you some questions. As I'm sure you're aware there have been several murders in the area. I've noticed you in the crowd watching us work more than once. What were you doing there?"

"I'm involved in the gay community, detective. Whenever something like this happens you get that horrible feeling that it might be someone you know. I don't like to hear about my friends dying on the eleven o'clock news."

"So you've known some of the victims then."

More than you know, Viggo thought, but only said quietly, "I didn't say that. I, so far, have been lucky and have never personally met any of the victims. But this community is rather small, so you never know."

"'Personally met'? That's a funny way to put it. Did you know of any of them?"

"I knew some of their names. They were all well-known around the area."

"And why exactly were they well known, Mr. Mortensen?"

"Because they were working boys, Detective, prostitutes. They made their living with their bodies. I never heard a bad thing said about them, though. They mostly did their job and left everyone alone."

Sean made a few notes, and looked back at Viggo. "And were you one of their clients?"

Viggo stared at him, his voice dry. "Do I look like I can afford a prostitute, detective? They are not cheap. From what I've heard, they're the best in the business, but like I said, they never bother anyone. They seem to work by appointment only."

"And I suppose you also have no idea who makes these appointments."

"If you're implying that I'm the man in charge and that I'm killing off any boy who dares to cross me or something, you're barking up the wrong tree. As you can tell, I'm not exactly getting outrageous amounts of income from pimping out young men. I don't know who makes them, nor do I really care."  
"Mr. Mortensen, I have a feeling you know a lot more than you want to tell us right now. We need information, and you know more than you're saying. Someone is killing these men, and I think if you don't know who it is, you have a very good idea."

"Detective Bean, I really don't care what you think of me, or what you think I know. I've given you as much information as I can. I have nothing else to give you. Now, if you gentlemen are through, I have some business to attend to."

Folding his notebook and placing it back in his jacket, Sean stood slowly, followed by Pennyworthy.

"I'm going to leave you my card. If you feel like talking more, you can reach me there any time."

Taking the card, Viggo escorted the men to the door. "If I have anything else, I'll be sure you're the first person I call," he replied, closing the door behind them.

As he watched them get into the car and drive away, Viggo sagged, exhausted from the effort of putting up a front. He turned and headed for the kitchen and the phone. Maybe a nice long talk with Johnny would help him sort this out better.  
Meanwhile across town a young woman paced nervously, while a man about her age sat on the floor and watched her.

"Kate honey, if you're that worried about it, why don't we just keep the boys in for tonight?" His smooth, quiet tones usually soothed her easily, but not much made Kate Bosworth feel better these days.

"Orli...three of them have been murdered. Three! It's too much to be a coincidence. Someone is killing off my boys and I want to know who!"

Orlando Bloom sighed and rose to his feet, running a comforting hand across her shoulders. As Kate's only male "assistant," he had many privileges, including seeing the normally unflappable blond at her most frazzled. "I know your finances, sweetie. We can afford to skip a night, or even a week or two if we wanted. You're right; this is getting too dangerous. Besides...there are a few of us who only see regulars. We'll be able to keep that going at least."

Kate nodded in understanding. Orlando was right, they wouldn't be hurting to not send anyone out for a few days. But she didn't think that was going to be enough. If this person was targeting her business, then he would know how to find them even if they weren't working.

"Maybe you're right, Orli. I'll make a few calls, get the word out for everyone to stay home for a few days. And to call the police if anything seems strange to them. I don't want them to panic, but I sure don't want another dead boy."

"Of course you don't." Orlando knew that things must be getting desperate if she was allowing them to call the police; usually she only allowed them to let her handle it, seeing as the legality of what they did was in a rather shady area. "I have an appointment with Tommy Jones tonight. I'll see if he knows anything more."

Being her assistant, he wasn't exposed to the usual--or unusual--cast of characters that were only looking for a warm body for the night. He had a small, exclusive list of men that he saw every few nights to pay his bills, powerful, connected and/or rich men like Jones, but he mostly helped Kate run everything.

While Kate made her calls, Orlando went upstairs to his bedroom. He needed to shower and get ready. He needed to be fresh and in his apartment on the other side of town before his client got there.  
While Kate was making her calls, Viggo was sitting in his kitchen telling Johnny about the police visit.  
"Yes, little slutdoggy, comfort the bitch."

"Excuse me? Vig, what the hell did you just say?"

"I-I don't know," Viggo murmured distractedly, running his fingers through his hair. "What-what did I say?"

The distressed man could almost hear Johnny's arched eyebrow over the phone. "Something about a slutdoggy and a bitch."

"I...don't know where that came from. I just...she'll get hers in the end, I swear it...the little whore will die, and so will her fucking 'assistant.' Stupid fucking thing to call a lapdog. And that's all I was really, just a motherfucking….”

"Viggo! Viggo, stop spacing out on me! Now isn't the time to put my advice to good use. Come back!"

~tbc~


	8. Chapter 8

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

Johnny's plea for him to "come back" barely registered in Viggo's head as the sudden flash of hatred nearly consumed him; this was so much stronger than he had ever felt before.

"I'll kill the little bitch, her and her whores, destroy them all..."

"Viggo! Viggo, it's all right. Come back now, okay? You're scaring Johnny."

"I... Christ," Viggo breathed in shakily, cold sweat covering his body. "Shit, Johnny, fuck, that..."

"Are you okay?"

"Well, yea, I mean I'm not going to go kill someone obviously-"

"That's not what I asked. Are you okay? Physically, mentally, whatever?"

"I..." Viggo closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm fine. All here."

Viggo sat, phone pressed to his ear and waited to see if the voice was completely gone. This was the worst he'd gotten directly from the killer.

"Johnny, I'm sorry about that. Whoever this guy is, he's got a real hatred for Kate. I'm not real fond of her myself, but I'm worried what this guy might try next."

"So you know it's Kate then? I mean, I realize it's her boys that have been murdered, but that could just be easy accessibility too. Needs to vent his frustration on something, and they're easy to get at?"

Viggo sighed. "No, it's Kate. I just...I know it. After everything that just went through me...it's directed at Kate."

"And her assistant, then."

"Hmm?"

"You mentioned her assistant. He's probably also the 'slutdoggy' in the first part."

Viggo rubbed at his eyes, his head starting to pound. He hadn't even thought about it being the young man that he'd seen with Kate the few times she'd been out.

"Johnny, I just don't know what to do. If I go to the police with this, especially after their visit today, they're going to think I'm either crazy or the killer. And my head is starting to hurt pretty badly. I think I'm going to go take some aspirin and lie down. Thanks for being here and listening."

"It's okay Viggo, anytime. Listen, maybe we can go for a drink or something later, try and see what else you're picking up from this guy."

"That'd be great, Johnny. Thank you." Viggo hung up the phone slowly, desperately needing a nap, his mind still on the handsome man that had been occupying his thoughts lately.

As Viggo was trying to rid himself of his headache, that same young man was sitting in a corner booth in a quiet Italian restaurant, his arm draped casually over Captain Jones' shoulders. He was currently concentrating on keeping his face neutral while the older man's fingers played over his slowly hardening cock through his jeans. This was always the game with the man; he'd wine, dine, and seduce him, and then take him back to an apartment he kept in the next city over, an address he had somehow managed to keep quiet. He never saw Jones' real house, and never wanted to. Jones was a client, not a lover.

"Sir," Orli finally simpered, placing gentle hands over rough ones. "What's been going on with all these killings lately? All of us 'boys' are getting pretty scared." He leaned in and sucked gently at the man's neck, tasting salt and the bitter tang of cologne.

"Don't you worry your pretty head, sweetness. I’ve got one of the best detectives we have on the case, but he's not so good that if he fucks up I won't kick him off the investigation. We'll solve it."

Nuzzling at his 'date', Orlando tried to press for a little news, anything that he could take home and ease a few minds. But he wasn't getting anything from the other man, except harder with each squeeze to his already aching shaft.

He'd almost given up and resigned himself to another night of sex with the other man, when Captain Jones’ cell phone rang.

Jones sighed and reached into his pocket. "I swear life was better off without these things," he muttered, flipping it open and pressing it to his ear.

After a few gruff rumbles and what sounded to Orlando like wordless barks, Jones hung up and leaned over, pecking his "date" on the lips. "Gotta go, sweetcheeks."

"Do they really need you? Now?" Orlando's cock was throbbing something terrible, and he shifted in the booth.

"Yea, they do. Can't be caught out of town during these things, even if it's just so many miles away. And they just found another body." He stood and slipped out his wallet, leaving a fifty and two twenties on the table for the bill and tip. "Here's some for your trouble, too. We’ll have to continue this another time."

Orlando sighed and accepted the money, slipping it into his own pocket.

As he looked up, he realized exactly what Jones had said, another murder.

"Tom? Wait! Did you just say..." but it was too late and the man was already out the door and gone.

Orlando left the booth and headed for a phone. He needed to let Kate know, if she hadn't heard yet.  
By the time Sean got to the site, a large crowd of people, reporters, and officers had already gathered. He pushed his way through them to the body, almost happy to see that Charlie had gotten there before him and was quite involved in note-taking. Hopefully he had gotten there before all the spectators arrived. All those people screwed up his crime scene something awful, something that pissed him off to no end, and it pleased him greatly when someone from the unit, even if it wasn't him, was able to see the place before they fucked with it.

"What do we have?" he asked tiredly.

"Same as usual, Sir, young, male, been dead awhile this time. Looks like the same guy did it. The M.E. has already taken a quick look and is talking to someone on her phone. I got here as fast as I could when the call came in."

"Good work, Charlie. Very good." Sean squatted down and pulled away the medical examiner's sheet, closing his eyes briefly at the young face that was revealed. "Shit...this guy's barely eighteen!"

The feeling of a presence behind him made Sean glance into the crowd, his gaze almost immediately settling on the figure of his main suspect. He growled loudly in anger and was up like a shot, stalking off across the sand in a beeline for him. Enough was enough.

Viggo had been standing in the back of the milling group of people, watching. He'd known before the word started to spread there was another body. And he knew it had been there a few hours, that his headache and sick feeling earlier had to be from the killer.

'Damn, if I'd only realized at the time. I've got to pay better attention, or I'll never find him.'

Just then he saw Detective Bean headed in his direction, a look of anger across his face. Turning to blend into the crowd and leave, Viggo felt a strong hand grasp his arm.

"Mr. Mortensen, we're taking you to the station. Now. You can come quietly or I can force you, but either way we're figuring this out tonight," Sean growled in his ear. "I have more than enough to make this arrest--you've been at the scene of the last two murders, and I bet if I asked around, I could place you at the ones before it. You have ties to this community, and I know you know more than you're telling. I'm done fucking around."

Turning back, Viggo looked the Detective in the eyes. Sighing heavily, he agreed to go to the station.

"But I'd like someone with me for counsel."

"Fine, whatever. We'll get you an attorney when we get there."

"No, I have someone we can call from the station."

Sean gave him a quizzical look, wondering why Viggo would have an attorney he could just call anytime. As they started back to the car, Sean pulled his notebook from his pocket and read Viggo his rights.

The ride to the station seemed to take an eternity for Viggo, from the beginning where he was cuffed--rather unnecessarily, he felt--to the time they pulled up and he was helped from the car. He kept his head down as he was guided through the station, not meeting anyone's eyes. Neither Bean nor Pennyworthy spoke, either to him or to each other.

They were desperate, and that's what worried Viggo the most. He knew who he had to call, and so he did, with Bean standing over him like a statue. He knew he could count on him to be an advocate, and one the officers would probably trust.

Placing Viggo in a holding cell, Sean went off to contact Captain Jones. As he rounded a corner, he almost ran over the Captain. Sean explained that they had a suspect in holding, and were waiting for his counsel to arrive before questioning.

As the two men stood talking, they heard a familiar voice coming down the hall, and turned to see their undercover narcotics officer working his way towards them.

~tbc~


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violence, minor character death this chapter

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

"Yes, yes, yes, hello everyone...have no fear, Johnny is here!"

Sean sighed in exasperation as the narcotics officer weaved his way along the desks, heading right towards him and Jones. It's not that he didn't enjoy the man's company, but all members of the narcotic division were a little crazy, and Johnny was definitely the leader of the pack in that division.

"Johnny! What are you doing here? You haven't been in this building in weeks," Sean greeted, clasping the man's hand.

"Well it seems as though you have a close friend of mine in lock-up."

"Oh really?" Sean arched an eyebrow as the two started walking towards the holding cells. "Who?"

"Viggo Mortensen." Johnny's demeanor changed so quickly that it would have thrown somebody not used to it off their feet. “And if you honestly think he could have killed those boys, then you are not the man I thought you were."

Sean stopped dead and looked over at Johnny, surprised and a bit intimidated by the look of severity in the other man's eyes. "Mortensen? You’re friends with Mortensen?"

Johnny stopped walking, glaring at Sean's back. "Yes, VIGGO is a friend of mine, and a damn honest one. We'll go through with your questioning him, just so you can take him off your list. But I'm willing to guarantee you he's not your man. Oh, and since he isn't aware that I'm work around here, let's just keep that under our hats, shall we?"

As Johnny opened the door to the interrogation room, Sean and Captain Jones exchanged confused looks.

"What is it about you that attracts all the crazies, Bean?"

Sean opened his mouth to respond with one of his normal irritated tirades, but then shut it slowly. "I have no frigging idea, sir," he said finally, shaking his head in amazement before heading into the room.

Sean watched as Johnny drew away from Mortensen, having been talking quietly with him as they sat at the table. He took a breath in, then slowly let it out. "You realize, Mr. Mortensen, that this man is not an attorney and that you are legally allowed, and advised, might I add, to have one with you at this time?

Viggo turned back towards the table and looked directly at both the officers.

"Yes, I'm very aware of my rights to counsel. But I trust Johnny, and I know that whatever he advises me will be for my own best interests."

"All right then, Mr. Mortensen, since you seem to be sure. We'll start this by stating that we are recording everything that is said, starting with when we asked about your choice of counsel. If you're ready, let's begin."

Two hours later, Sean and Captain Jones stepped from the room, leaving Viggo and Johnny to wait for them.

"We're missing something, sir. I know we are. Christ. We've been in there two hours and yet we're no further than we were before. But I know this asshole knows something."

Jones sighed and shook his head. "Detective..."

"I know it, sir!" Sean was desperate. And just an inch away from being kicked off the case. Mortensen and Johnny had him going around in circles trying to get something out of his suspect, but they had nothing. Sean knew it, Jones knew it, hell, even Johnny and Viggo knew it.

"Listen, Bean, the guy isn't going to tell us any more than he already has. Depp vouches for him, and I trust his opinion. I agree with you, he knows something, but he's not talking. I think we need cut him loose and keep an eye on him. And that's what I intend to do."

Walking back into the room, they took their seats at the table again. Captain Jones explained to Viggo and Johnny that while they were certain there was more to Viggo's story than he was revealing, they just didn't have enough to hold him on and that he was free to leave.

Sean slumped against the wall outside the room, his fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose. He glared at Mortensen has he walked out the door, fighting down the urge to just beat him until he gave up the information he was hiding.

"Every second you waste lying to us is another second the killer is using to plan his next murder. If you value human life as much as you fucking say you do, then help us, you-"

"Bean! That's enough!"

"Yes, Sir," Sean snapped, turning to storm down the hall in the opposite direction.

Viggo and Johnny watched him leave before turning to Captain Jones.

"Captain, he's just trying to do his job, but right now, I really have nothing more I can tell you. I promise that when I can I'll call Detective Bean and let him know."

"Thank you, Mr. Mortensen. I appreciate you cooperating."

Captain Jones watched as the two men left the building, then turned to follow after Sean. They needed to get a few things straightened out before there were any further outbursts like he'd just witnessed.

Meanwhile, Orlando sighed quietly, looking at his watch and then out at the empty street in front of his building again. He had a meeting tonight with a new client, despite the fact that Kate had forbidden anyone to take on new people. But this guy was too good to be true. Tall, dark, with a sweet, low voice, a handsome face and an apparently unending supply of money, Orlando couldn't believe he'd hurt a fly.

He had been waiting for almost a half hour, and was starting to worry that he wasn't going to show. Maybe the news that morning of the discovery of another body had scared him off; they were losing more and more regulars with the fear that they were going to be found out and suspected. It was going to be a long year if this kept up.

Finally, Orlando had enough and was about to turn to go back inside when he heard the voice behind him. He smiled and turned around, ready with a teasing barb about being everything a boy could want minus the ability to tell time, and was greeted not with the friendly smile of his client but with a strong hand clamping a cloth over his nose. He squeaked and struggled, but the sweet scent of the chemical on the cloth soon overwhelmed him, his body going limp, his confused gaze barely registering the ice cold, depth-less eyes that belonged to his assaulter before he passed out.

As Orlando started to regain consciousness some time later, the first thing he was aware of was the sounds of Kate and a man arguing. It confused him at first, seeing that the last thing he clearly remembered was standing outside waiting for a client that hadn't shown up. But the longer he laid there, the more frightened Kate sounded and the angrier the man became. Just as he opened his eyes, he saw the man he'd been waiting for earlier holding Kate by her arm. As he watched, unable to move, Kate screamed and he saw the glint of a knife as it was plunged into her chest.

Orlando tried to scream, but there was a rubber ball in his mouth, one which split his lips open widely and was held there by abrasive elastic straps, preventing any noises. He tugged at the ropes holding him hostage on the floor, in what was almost a hog-tie position, to no avail. Tears filled his eyes as Kate was dropped to the floor, her eyes still wide open in horror.

"I see sleeping beauty is awake."

The voice filtered through Orlando's foggy, scared consciousness and he slowly craned his neck to look up at the man through a film of tears.

Looking back at the limp form of his friend and madam, he watched as a large pool of crimson spread around her. He knew she was dead, there wasn't any other choice.

Turning his head back up, he cringed to see the man moving closer to him, a look of menace and pure evil across his face.

"So you're Kate's former bitch? Funny, I didn't think she went for pussies." The toe of his boot gently tapped Orlando's chest and for the first time the young man realized he was naked. "Look at how thin you are. Such a pretty boy. Guess her tastes have changed since me."

Orli was so distracted by both the realization that he was naked and figuring out the meaning behind the man's last sentence that he didn't notice when the boot lifted off his chest, and was completely unprepared for the impact of the heavy shoe smashing into the same place it had touched before. The breath was driven from his body as the pain made his vision spin.

While Orlando lay in the basement, gasping for breath around his gag, Viggo and Johnny were sitting in Viggo's kitchen.

As they sat talking quietly, Viggo turned pale and looked almost panicked.

"Vig, what's wrong? Can you see or hear him again? What happened?"

"He...he killed Kate, Johnny. And he's holding someone in his house. I can see what he's looking at, and the things in it look almost familiar. Oh, God, John, he's got the boy."

~tbc~


	10. Chapter 10

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

Viggo looked at Johnny in fear, the killer's dark thoughts and feelings of anger raging through his head. "We have to stop this, he...I can feel the rage, Johnny. This guy's completely lost it. He...he's going to kill him but...he's going to toy with him first. I can see...everything he's going to do and..."

Johnny watched worriedly as the color slowly drained from Viggo's face, and he stood up and went over to him. He took Viggo's chin in his hand and tipped his head up gently so he could look into his eyes. "Concentrate, Vig. Can you see where they are? I know it hurts to have to go that deeply into this man's consciousness, but if we're going to save him we need to know where they are."

Viggo struggled to keep his eyes on Johnny, knowing the other man was boosting him, in more ways than one. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and block it all out, but the boy would be lost if he did that.

"Viggo, come on man, you have to see something. Can you pick up what the street looks like, the house, anything?"

Viggo sat, staring into Johnny's eyes, when he saw something that scared the hell out of him.

"Johnny, I know where he is, and who has him," he said as he pulled away.

Grabbing his coat, he headed for the door with Johnny following closely.

"What? What did you see? Viggo?" Johnny called out as he struggled to keep up with him, not understanding why his friend was suddenly so panicked.

"It's Keanu, Johnny...why the hell didn't I figure it out before? Goddamn it, I'm a fool!"

"Keanu? Your ex? But...why would he be killing these boys? I don't understand it!"

"I'll explain later! No time! Gimme your car keys!"

Johnny threw the ring to him without thinking, getting into the car. "Viggo, talk to me. What is going on?"

"It's Keanu, Johnny. He's killing them off because they're what he once was."

"He...he was a prostitute? You don't seem like the type to live with a working boy, Vig. But why would he kill the boys, just because he was one?"

"I'm not. That's why he's an ex. I have no idea why he's killing them. We'll have to ask him that when we get there."

"Get where?"

"He had a loft above one of the old factories. Had a family member who owned the land but did nothing with it. He's there. I saw the view from out the window."

"Vig...maybe we should let the police handle this. You shouldn't get involved."

Viggo laughed dryly. "Like I'm not involved already?"

Johnny watched his friend, trying to decide how he was going to handle this. He knew he should contact the station, but how? He was in a speeding car, with no radio and no phone. He knew whatever happened, he was the only one there with any training or chance of controlling the situation.

Opening the glove box, he moved things around, looking for his backup gun.

"Viggo, bud, there's some things you need to know before we get there, and I hate to break this to you right now," he said, pulling the small revolver out and checking the ammunition, "But I don't think I've ever told you what it is I do for a living."

Viggo glanced to the side, surprised by the sudden appearance of the gun. "You're going to kill me now, aren't you? Because after the week I've had, I really wouldn't be surprised."

Johnny chuckled quietly. "Viggo, I'm a cop. Narcotics division to be exact. It's why Bean and Jones let me stay with you and didn't get irritated when I kept interrupting. They know me. We're not friends, per se, but I'm an acquaintance."

Viggo glanced over again, trying to take in his friend, that he thought he knew and evidently didn't at all.

"Why didn't you tell me this before now? Wait, don't answer. We're here."

Pulling the car in front of an old building in a rundown part of town, Viggo shut off the engine and stared up at the building.

"Unless he's changed things, there should be a spare key above the front door," he muttered as he got out and headed for the building.

Johnny slowly followed Viggo, feeling terribly guilty about having lied to him all this time. Just because it was a lie of omission, and not a direct lie, didn't make him feel any better. But he also knew that Viggo never would have let him in like he did if he knew Johnny was a cop. "Vig...let me at least go in first, okay? I do this for a living and I don't want you getting killed."

Taking the key down from its hiding place, Viggo opened the door as quietly as he could.

"I know him, Johnny. I know he isn't going to hurt me," he whispered, stepping into the dark building.

"It looks like he already hurt you once!" Johnny whispered urgently, but knew that the trust between them was, if not broken, at least weakened somewhat. Viggo would do this his way. So he slowly followed the man into the two-story complex, his finger on the trigger of his gun.

"I don't want you killing him."

"You don't want what?" Johnny stared at Viggo's back in shock.

"You heard me."

Johnny just shook his head, he wasn't making any promises.

As they got to the head of the stairs, Viggo paused to gather his nerves, and slowly turned the handle and pushed in. As the door started to open, he could see his former lover standing in the middle of the room, staring at something on the floor in front of him.

Keanu heard the creaking of the door in the silence of the room, Orlando's haggard breathing being the only noise that echoed in the large loft. He turned swiftly, his eyes widening in shock and surprise.

"You...it's been you all along, hasn't it? I've felt something...a presence...you've been with me all this time, haven't you?"

Viggo stared at his former lover, his heart dropping down to his toes. He was still beautiful, so beautiful, but it was a different beauty than he remembered. This new beauty was as harsh and unforgiving as an Alaskan winter, and it marred the many good memories of the younger man that Viggo had struggled to hold onto.

Just then, Keanu looked over Viggo's shoulder as Johnny appeared behind his friend.

"Brought your new little playmate with you? Figures you weren't man enough to come on your own," he sneered, watching to see what the other men were going to do.

"Keanu...step away from the boy. Please," Viggo said quietly, watching with concern as Orlando moaned a bit, trying to get up.

"Stay where you are, kid," Johnny implored, not wanting to get the young man hurt any more than he already was.

"Why did you even come, Viggo? You can't stop me. You're not strong enough. Your backbone is gone."

Viggo couldn't understand where the malice had come from. Keanu had always been a very quiet, easy-going man. Gritting his teeth, he knew he had to keep his own emotions under control. He needed to get the young man on the floor out of there before Keanu had a chance to do any more damage.

Johnny nudged Viggo, getting him to step aside. As he stepped into the room, he leveled his revolver at Keanu.

"Buddy, I want you to step away from the man on the floor. And keep your hands where I can see them. Viggo, once Keanu's moved, I want you to untie the boy and get him out of here."

"Oh, what, you're going to shoot me? I doubt Viggo would let you. I'm guessing one of the first things he said was not to kill me. Am I right or am I right?"

Viggo shook his head. "Keanu, please, just let the kid go. He has nothing to do with this."

"He has everything to do with this!" The sudden anger in his voice made Viggo physically take a step back in shock, while Orlando cringed and whimpered softly. "Can't you see? He's me! The little bastard is me! And I will kill him for it!"

Keanu kicked Orlando in the ribs again, drawing out a pained grunt and Orlando curled more into himself.

Viggo couldn't stand there and watch while Keanu hurt the young man any more. He made a lunge at Keanu, just as Johnny raised his gun and squeezed the trigger.

~tbc~


	11. Chapter 11

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

The gun shot sounded impossibly noisy in the large, hollow loft, the bang echoing throughout the building, bouncing off dirty walls and booming down the stairs before zipping back up again and dying. It rang in Viggo's ears as he lay on the ground, Keanu's body trapped under his own, and for a moment, just one moment, Viggo found himself lost in memories of long years before. Keanu's smell filled his nose and brain, bringing up forgotten snapshots of them together, out and happy, in bed, comfortable and nude, in each other's arms, safe and content.

"Get the FUCK off of me!"

Just at that point, Johnny stepped over them, gun in one hand, handcuffs in the other.

"It's okay, Viggo. He's not going anywhere. Keanu, roll over and put your hands behind your back. Viggo, go get that kid untied and taken care of."

As Viggo moved off Keanu and to the other side of the room, he could hear Johnny reading Keanu his rights. Kneeling down beside Orlando, he ran a hand across his head and checked to see if he was still conscious, before untying the ropes.

Orlando's jaw was aching badly, and he was never more grateful for anything than when the man who was untying him gently slipped the ball from between his lips. He tried to talk, but his throat was raw and sore from both the gag and from screaming.

"It's all right; don't talk right now. You need to rest. I'm Viggo Mortensen and that..." Viggo glanced over his shoulder and took a breath in. "...is Officer Johnny Depp. You're safe."

"Thank you," Orli whispered hoarsely, leaning his face into his savior's hand.

"Listen, I need to grab something to wrap around you. Don't move, we don't know how badly you've been hurt. I'll be right back."

Looking around for something to cover the man with, Viggo spotted a blanket on the sofa. Bending down to retrieve it, he noticed a foot behind the sofa, against the wall.

Feeling ill, he grabbed the blanket and called to Johnny, "John, you need to go look over there. I think we know where Kate is."

Johnny kept his gun trained on the cuffed Keanu as he walked over, making sure he didn't move a muscle as he glanced quickly at the body. "She's definitely dead," he commented dispassionately.

Viggo sighed and gently wrapped the shivering younger man in the blanket. "How are we going to get the police here? Bean...someone associated with the case should see this."

Johnny shook his head. "This isn't over, Viggo," he said cryptically.

"Very good, Johnny," Keanu sneered. "You have nothing on me, and I will admit to nothing other than what you see here."

"Shut up, Keanu," Viggo growled. "There's no way you're getting out of this."

But Johnny knew that Keanu was right. Right now there wasn't a hell of a lot on their side, and he knew the police wouldn't accuse Keanu of the other murders yet. No evidence meant no link. Orlando as a witness to only Kate's murder was just not going to be enough. Viggo was still in trouble.

Spotting a phone on a corner table, he grabbed the handset and placed a call to the station, asking for Detective Bean.

When the call was patched through to Sean's office, he was lying on his desk with the lights out, a wet paper towel folded and lying on his forehead. He had just been screamed at for over an hour by Jones, and his head was pounding. It seemed like every time his superior was winding down, he'd start back up again on rights and protocols and everything else a first-year cop could have recited by heart.

When the shrill ring of his phone cut into his consciousness, Sean grabbed at it, and had to fight with himself not to hurl the whole thing at the wall. He finally put the base down and picked up the receiver, holding it to his ear without a word.

"Detective Bean? Are you there? We have a call for you from an officer Depp."  
"Yeah, put him through."

'Now what?' Sean thought as he waited for the connection.

"Sean, this is Johnny. I have something I think you want pretty badly."

"What could you possibly have that I would want, Depp? Unless you have the killer, wrapped up in a big blue bow."

"Well, he's not wearing a bow, he's wearing my cuffs. And I have a cold body and a kidnap victim to go with him. Let me give you an address. Oh, and Sean? We need an ambulance."

"I-what?" Sean was so blindsided that he felt his head spin. "Say all that again. Slowly."

"We have a killer, Sean. We have a murdered woman, a man who was kidnapped, and we need an ambulance." Johnny rattled off the address. "And we'd like it if you could get here quickly. The flies are starting to gather."

Sean reached for a pen and wrote down the information. "If you're screwing with me just to get your friend off..."

Johnny shook his head and hung up the phone, not even dignifying that statement with an answer.

Setting down the phone and shaking his head, Sean grabbed for his jacket and went to find Pennyworthy.

"Charlie, grab your coat and meet me at the car," he called across the squad room.

Charlie scrabbled to catch up, getting there just as Sean started the engine.

"Where are we off to, Sir?"

"Johnny just called. He says he has the killer."

"But...he hasn't even been working with us."

"I know. This has Mortensen's name all over it." Sean barely waited for Charlie to buckle his belt before wheeling out of the parking lot, his partner get on the radio and ask for an ambulance.

They arrived at the warehouse before the ambulance and headed up the stairs. They found Johnny sitting on a chair, watching over the person they assumed was the killer, and Viggo sitting on the floor holding someone that was wrapped in a blanket.

"All right, Depp. What happened here? I see you have your friend with you."

Just at that point, Keanu turned his head to take in the newcomers. Sean stopped and stared. This looked like the same person that had been in the photo at Viggo's house, the one of them together.

"Keanu here kidnapped that man over there, and killed that woman. Her name's Kate, and she would be the woman who ran the prostitution ring. And I'd bet that boy was one of hers."

"And how did you two end up here?"

"Vig over there figured out it was Keanu and he knew he used to live here. So we gave it a shot."

"Without any backup."

"Would you have believed us if we had called? Or would you just have taken Viggo in for more questioning? We had to do something."

"That's not the point, Depp. You know protocol. And you didn't follow it."

Frowning, he turned to Viggo and the man in his lap. They could hear the ambulance approaching, and Pennyworthy ran down to direct them up.

"And you, I have a lot of questions for you. But first, does the person you're holding have a name?"

Viggo leaned down closer to the shuddering man. "I never thought to ask, what's your name? Are you up to talking right now? If not, just nod and I'll tell him to go away and he can wait until you're ready."

"Orlando," came the hoarse reply. "My name’s Orlando, and if it's all right, I'd like to wait to talk to anyone."

Looking back up at Sean, Viggo relayed the name, and the request. He also noted that the Detective didn't look any too pleased about being told to wait.

"Charlie, get Cate on the phone and let her know she needs to get here. We have to get that body taken care of. And get a black and white here too, to take him to holding," He indicated the scowling Keanu with his hand just as the EMT's made their way into the room after carefully carrying the stretcher up the stairs.

Orlando allowed them to look him over, but clung tightly to Viggo's hand, almost cowering back against the older man. He only talked when asked a question as Viggo continued to try to comfort him as best he could. When the men finally allowed Orlando to crawl onto the bed, Viggo helped him, and then tried to back away.

"Please, don't leave me," Orlando pleaded, reaching for him and refusing to let go of his hand.

Seeing the young man's distress, Viggo nodded and walked with him down the stairs. Sean moved to stop him, but Johnny reached out and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Let him go. He won't try to run."

"I'm holding you responsible, should you be wrong."

"I won't be."

Sean nodded and then supervised the officers who came to take Keanu away before sending Charlie for some coffee--good coffee, not the stuff they had at the station. This was going to be a long night.

~tbc~


	12. Chapter 12

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

Orlando passed out somewhere between Keanu's loft and the hospital. The adrenaline that had been rushing through his system since he first woke up had left him, and his mind had sagged under the weight of trying to condense what he had been through into coherent thoughts. All he knew was that Viggo had him. Viggo wouldn't let him down, he knew that for certain. Viggo had saved him and would continue to protect him.

So when he woke up and looked blearily around the room, his heart nearly broke when he found that his savior wasn't by his side. Where had he gone? Why was Orlando alone? What had he done to make him go away? He couldn't have done anything, he was unconscious! He closed his eyes tightly, trying to control his jumbled emotions, when suddenly the door to the right of the bed opened and briefly flooded the dim room with light. Orlando could hear water running, and realized that had to be the bathroom. He opened his eyes cautiously, the sudden shock making them hurt, and nearly laughed with relief at seeing the slim outline of the man who had come to his aid in the doorway.

Viggo switched off the light and quietly closed the door. He didn't want to wake the sleeping man. He was still surprised that as groggy as Orlando had been in the emergency room, and how he'd appeared to be asleep most of the time, he had gotten so worked up when someone tried to make Viggo leave.

"I thought you left me."

The soft voice startled Viggo a little and his eyes swung towards the bed. "I'm sorry; I honestly thought you would have been out for a little longer," Viggo murmured, settling back down into the hard, molded plastic chair beside the younger man's bed. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible. My chest feels like it's been stepped on about a thousand times. But I'm glad you're still here."

Orlando stretched out his hand, reaching for Viggo. Just having the man there seemed to calm him so much.

Taking his hand, Viggo had to ask, "Why am I still here? I'm not complaining, and I'll stay as long as you need me, but I'm really no more than a stranger."

"Because...I..." Orlando stopped and looked at their joined hands. "Because you make me feel safe, and because I have no one else."

Viggo blinked, rubbing the boy's hand gently. Of course he didn't. Kate was dead. His parents were probably either dead or disowned him, either because of his job or his sexuality. And a relationship...relationships didn't often work for people in Orlando's line of work, Viggo reflected painfully.

"I see," he finally murmured, squeezing the hand in his. "Well then, I won't be leaving. Hospitals are scary places, and terrible things to be in alone."

Viggo sat in the chair by Orlando's bed, gently holding his hand. The boy, and he didn't look much older than a boy, was still very pale and clung to him.

"Thank you. I'm sorry, I don't even remember your name, just that you seemed to care."

"Viggo," he answered very quietly, "and I do care, Orlando. You seem to need someone. I'm not sure what I can do to help, but I can be here with you as long as you need me."

Orlando nodded, yawning, the last pain medication the nurse had given him causing him to drift off to sleep.

Viggo watched him fall asleep, gently setting the boy's hand back on the bed and getting up to close the door quietly. There were voices out in the hall and they were getting louder. He didn't want them to wake Orlando up.

In reality, only one of the voices was actually getting louder, and, in Johnny's opinion, more petulant sounding. Detective Sean Bean was getting very close to throwing a grade-A tantrum.

"He's my suspect, damn it! I want to see him!"

"He's not your suspect anymore. We arrested that other man, remember? The one with the blood on his hands and that kid tied up at his feet?" Johnny arched a bored eyebrow, glancing up from the "Highlights" magazine that had somehow wandered into the waiting room from the children's wing.

Sean paced the floor, trying to keep his anger under control. He didn't think he was asking that much, just some time with the live victim, and a chance to grill Viggo again. He was still sure there was a lot to this story he hadn't gotten yet. The nurse at the desk had told them they needed to wait until the doctor made rounds and if he felt it was all right, then Sean and Johnny would be allowed to talk to them.

Sean's back was turned as the doctor made his way down the hall, grabbing Orlando's chart and stepping into the darkened room.

Viggo looked up as the door opened to admit the doctor, and obligingly stepped out of the way so the man could do his job. He watched almost nervously as the man checked a few things, although appreciated the fact that he seemed determined not to disturb Orlando's sleep.

'Why does this kid mean so much to me?' Viggo wondered silently, watching the doctor work. Even though he obviously was very much a man, Viggo couldn't help but think of the frail, scared person he had seen in Keanu's loft. He looked very much like a child then, and again now, small against the white linens of his bed.

Turning to Viggo, the doctor took in his rumpled appearance.

"Are you a family member?"

"No, just a friend. He didn't want me to leave him. Is he all right? I mean, is there anything broken?"

"He'll be fine, he's got some badly bruised ribs, and some scrapes and contusions. He should be able to go home tomorrow. But someone should be with him for a few days."

"I'll let him stay with me." The words were out of Viggo's mouth so quickly that he was surprised, but he realized that he had made up his mind about taking Orlando home with him hours ago, probably when he had first held the trembling form.

The doctor looked him over again carefully, deciding that Viggo was sincere and meant the young man no harm. He'd been through enough trauma all ready.

"There is a pair of police officer sitting in the waiting room, wanting to talk to you both. I'm going to leave orders that they are not to disturb anyone in this room until after Mr. Bloom wakes up, and then only if he feels up to it. I'll be back in the morning to check on things, and to write his discharge orders."

"Thank you, doctor. I promise I'll do my best to take care of him."

As the doctor left the room, Viggo settled back into the bedside chair, brushing an errant curl from the sleeping man’s face.

'He really is beautiful,' he thought, feeling slight shame rush through him at the memory of his masturbatory fantasies in the shower. He couldn't deny the lust he still felt, but that lust was turning into something more.

Sean saw the doctor leave the room and was up in an instant, immediately going over to argue with him. Johnny watched silently, not making a move to help the other officer. Viggo and Orlando had been through enough.

"Give it up, Sean. The poor boy has just seen someone apparently close to him die."

"Close to him? Ha. She was nothing more than his pimp."

Johnny arched a surprised eyebrow. "Nothing more than his what?"

"Oh, come off it, Depp! The boy's a prostitute. And everyone knew that Kate Bosworth ran a house and rented out young men. Obviously he worked for her."

Shaking his head, Johnny went back to sit and wait. He knew there was no reasoning with Sean when he was worked up.

It was a bit longer before Orlando woke up, feeling slightly better than when he had gone to sleep. He yawned softly and rubbed his eyes, smiling when he saw Viggo napping in the chair. His head was tipped back, and Orlando knew he was going to have a stiff neck when he woke up. He reached out to try to tip his head forward, but when Viggo sensed the hand near his head he jerked awake, wincing and rubbing his neck.

"Good morning," he murmured, disoriented.

Orlando chuckled quietly. "Good morning to you too. Although I don't think it's morning, nor are either of us feeling all that good."

Viggo leaned forward, concerned that Orlando was in some kind of pain.

"Is there anything I can do, get for you? Do you want me to call a nurse?"

"No, I'm as well as I would expect to be, although my ribs really hurt."

Orlando looked down, unable to meet Viggo's eyes at the memory of what had happened, and how he'd been found.

"Talk to me, Orlando. Please," Viggo said quietly, gently tipping the younger man’s head back up again.

"What is there to talk about? I'm completely alone. I have no one to go to, no one to take care of me, no one to help me. Kate's dead. My parents...they won't even answer my letters let alone take my calls. You're the only one who cares, and I can't impose on you much longer. You have a life and it's not fair for me to be selfishly keeping you from it."

As Viggo held Orlando's chin he watched a tear trickle down from heartbroken brown eyes. Gathering Orlando gently into his arms, he tried to soothe the troubled young man.

"It's okay, you aren't imposing. I'm here because I want to be. When you're released in the morning, I thought you could stay with me for a while, until you're feeling better. Let me take care of you."

"What do you want in return?"

The simple question made Viggo stiffen a little, his heart dropping painfully in his stomach. No matter what had happened, Orlando was still thinking like a prostitute. In his world, nothing was free. Everything came with a price. And although he was obviously a bit better off than the others, that price was still sex.

"Nothing," Viggo made sure to stress the word, "nothing except your company."

Orlando nodded. He knew that nothing came for free. Maybe right now Viggo was saying that, but he knew eventually the man would want some kind of repayment.

"Orlando, I hate bringing this up," Viggo said, moving back a bit and letting go of the hold he had on Orlando, "but there are a couple of policemen waiting to talk to you. The doctor said it's up to you if you want to or not. But it might be better to do it here than after we go home."

Not moving from Viggo's arms, he sighed softly. "You're probably right. I'll do it now."

Viggo kissed the brown curls on instinct, then gently helped Orlando settle back against his pillows, not giving himself time to think or regret the action. "I'll go let them know."

~tbc~


	13. Chapter 13

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

As Viggo walked down the hall, he tried to justify to himself why he was doing all this for Orlando. True, he was beautiful and that had certainly drawn Viggo to fantasize about him. But there was a layer of fragility there, and Viggo felt a need to care for and protect him from the rest of the world.

Shaking himself from his reverie, he took a deep breath and stepped into the waiting room. As soon as he stepped through the door he was met by an armful of his best friend.

"You okay, Vig?"

"Fine, Johnny, just tired."

Turning to Sean, he straightened and looked the glowering man in the eye. "Orlando is awake, and he said he'd be willing to talk to you for a little bit,"

"I'm more interested in what you have to say, Mr. Mortensen, but I thank you for letting me speak to my witness." Sean's voice was laced with heavy sarcasm as he brushed past the man and headed towards Orlando's hospital room.

Viggo sighed wearily, grateful for Johnny as he gently slid an arm around Viggo’s shoulder. "It'll be over soon, Vig. We'll get Keanu connected to the other murders somehow. I know he seems like an ass, but Sean could be a useful ally if we can get him on our side."

"I have never heard a bigger 'if' in my life, Johnny."

Patting Viggo on the shoulder as they opened the door, they stepped into the room and stood quietly just inside as they watched Sean quietly talking to Orlando.

"So, Mr. Bloom, how did you and Ms Bosworth end up in the warehouse with Mr. Reeves?"

"I don't know about Kate," Orlando admitted softly, looking down at the thin linen blanket that covered his form. "I was waiting for a - a new...client." He looked at Viggo nervously, playing with his fingers.

"Sean isn't here to arrest you for that, Orlando," Viggo said softly, although there was a warning in his voice that made Sean's hackles rise. "I won't let him."

"Thank you, Mr. Mortensen. Now would you please sit down and not interrupt? You'll get your turn."

Orlando stared with big eyes, fearful of the tone that had come into the officer’s voice.

"Not a problem, Detective Bean," Viggo answered, walking next to Orlando's bed and resuming his spot in the only chair in the room.

Reaching out, he took Orlando's hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"It's all right, Orlando. The Detective and I have a running love hate relationship. Don't mind us."

Looking slightly bewildered but a bit more comforted, Orlando slowly continued his story. "So I was waiting for this guy. And he was late...I was almost ready to give up on him until I heard his voice. It came from behind me and so I turned around to greet him...and I - I guess I was attacked. Something knocked me out, although I can't really remember what." He rubbed his head with the hand Viggo wasn't holding. "When I came to, I was tied up. He was talking to Kate...threatening her...I don't know how she got there but he was so angry with her...and then he..."

Viggo watched with concern as Orlando's lids closed against the wash of tears that filled his eyes. He stood up and gently sat himself on the side of the bed, wrapping the younger man in his arms.

"Shhh, it's all right, honey, things will be all right. He's in jail now and he can't hurt you," Viggo crooned softly.

Sean and Johnny exchanged a look, trying to decide if this was a good time to tell them that Keanu hadn't made it to jail.

"Um, Vig, mate...you might want to, uh...can I speak with you?" Johnny stammered, taking the man's arm.

When Viggo cast a disparaging look at Sean, Johnny sighed. "He's not going to hurt Orlando. But we need to talk." He watched as Viggo kissed the younger man's forehead, then quietly followed the officer out the door.

"What is going on now?"

"Let’s go have a smoke, okay?"

"Johnny, cut the shit. What is going on?"

Grabbing Viggo's sleeve, Johnny dragged him to the elevator.

"Listen, I need out of here for a few minutes. Bean is driving me nuts. And I need to share some information with you that you aren't going to like. So let's step outside, have a smoke and talk."

"Johnny, you're worrying me now."

"I'm worried myself, Vig. Come on."

Once on the ground floor, Johnny led Viggo out of the building and down a few paces to a bench, sitting down and taking out a pack of cigarettes. He dragged one out, and offered it to Viggo. When his friend just stared at him, he shrugged and left him standing while he lit his own and took a deep breath. Johnny closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bench, taking a few more drags before speaking.

"Reeves escaped."

He could feel Viggo tense almost immediately, could feel the air around them change, and he simply continued to sit still, knowing it was better to wait it out.

Viggo stood there, staring at his friend and mentor. He just couldn't believe how cool Johnny was acting about this. If Keanu was loose, he'd start looking for Orlando again. He had to get back upstairs, where he could watch over Orlando, keep him safe.

Viggo turned to walk into the building, then turned back.

"How'd he get away, John?"

"He waited until the officers who were taking him in to the station turned their backs for a moment, then nailed the bigger one in the back, and he landed on his partner. By the time they were on their feet, Keanu was gone."

"Son of a bitch. Who the fuck do you people have working for you? Honestly! Keanu's killed people! He's a murderer! And you let him get away?"

"Let's get one thing straight here, Vig. I did nothing. I wasn't there. I've been with you this whole time because you need someone to watch out for you."

"I'm not a child--"

"No, you're not. But you're so worried about Orlando, about Keanu, about Sean, that you've completely forgotten about Viggo!”

Viggo stared at Johnny for a moment, mouth hanging partway open, ready for a rebuttal, then turned on his heel and headed back inside, calling over his shoulder that he needed to get back to Orlando.

Johnny sat and finished his cigarette before following his friend back upstairs. When he got to the room, he found Viggo standing defensively next to Orlando, and Sean looking mad enough to eat nails.

"I thought we agreed to keep the suspect's escape between us, Depp."

"They needed to know, Bean. Their safety is at risk."

"What else have you told your friend here? Huh? If you keep this up, I will arrest you for obstruction."

"Obstruction of what? A witch hunt?"

"Shut up! Both of you!"

Both men turned in surprise to look at Orlando, who was half out of bed while Viggo struggled to keep him down without hurting him. "Viggo's a good man! I trust him, and so should you! He's done nothing wrong! He didn't kill Kate, he didn't hurt me, and he didn't kill those other boys!"

"Honey, you need to calm down, you're hurt and need to rest."

Looking at the man who had spent so much of his own time already taking care of him, Orlando nodded slightly and allowed Viggo to help him back under the covers.

"How do you know Viggo's not the one who killed them?" Sean asked after Orlando was settled again, Viggo sitting on the edge of the bed holding his hand.

"Because I listened to that man and Kate fighting before he killed her. She was screaming at him about what he'd done to the other guys."

"You remember that specifically?"

"Yes," Orlando sighed softly, looking sad. "Those guys were my friends, Detective Bean. Some were more like family. I want to see the person who killed them brought to justice more than anybody. And that person is not Viggo."

"Then maybe you can convince Mr. Mortensen to help us. He knows things, Mr. Bloom, things he's not telling me. Like how he knew where you were, that it was Reeves, and why Officer Depp always seems to pop up all the time."

Orlando turned to look at Viggo, confusion crossing his face.

"Viggo? He's right, how did you know where to find me, and why would you? I've only ever seen you at the club, we've never talked before this."

"I suppose I have some explaining to do to both you and Detective Bean. But," he looked back at Sean, "do you think we can do this tomorrow at the house? Orlando is being released in the morning and I'm taking him home with me to recover, and protect him. I think he's really had enough excitement for tonight."

Sean looked at him closely. "You won't run?"

"No, I won't run. I'm not leaving Orlando."

"All right, tomorrow it is then. Johnny, can you stay with them? If Reeves tries anything, they'll need protection."

"Are you sure you trust me?" Johnny was still stung by the detective's accusations. He was tired, irritated, and sick of being second-guessed by the ill-tempered man.

Sean had the grace to appear slightly sheepish. "It's been a long week, Johnny. Yes, I trust you."

"Viggo," Johnny said, turning back to the pair on the bed, "he's right. You both need someone around to watch out for any trouble. You going to be okay with that?"

"Sure, Johnny, I appreciate it. Between the two of us, Orlando should be safe."

"Vig, what makes you think that he won't come after you, too?"

"I..." Viggo trailed off, swallowing slowly.

"You pissed him off, Vig. Ruined his plans. Took his plaything. Got him arrested. He can't be happy with you."

"Listen, I'm leaving you two to work out whatever details you need to. I'm going to go home and get a few hours sleep. John, call me when they release Mr. Bloom, and then when you get him back to the house. We'll make arrangements then to continue our discussion. Mr. Bloom, Mr. Mortensen, I'll see you both tomorrow."

As Sean left the room, Viggo looked at Johnny. "You really think he'd try something with me?"

"Buddy, I think he's going to come after both of you. But let me worry about that. You two need to take Sean's advice and rest. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

~tbc~


	14. Chapter 14

Rating: PG – NC17 (PG this chapter)

 

Viggo woke up to find himself leaning over with his head on Orlando's stomach, when the nurse came in to open the drapes and take Orlando's morning vital signs. Lifting his head, he found an amused Orlando watching him.

"Sleep okay?"

"I....yes...um, quite nicely," Viggo murmured in embarrassment. "I'm sorry...I hope I didn't hurt you."

"Not in the least. I was fine. It was kind of nice." The younger man gently stroked Viggo's cheek, rubbing at the mark the blanket crease had left on his skin. "I felt safe. Knew you were with me the whole time. It let me get some rest."

Just then, Johnny walked back into the room, cups of coffee for himself and Viggo in hand.

"Ah, so sleeping beauty finally woke up. How are you feeling this morning, Viggo? You looked very comfy on our little victim."

Viggo took the offered cup, sipping the hot dark liquid.

"I really didn't mean to, I guess I was just tired. Has the doctor come in yet? Do we know when Orlando is being released?"

"I told him to wait for you to wake up. You really did need the rest. You were starting to look like a raccoon."

Viggo glared a bit, but any response was cut off as the doctor entered. He carefully examined Orlando, gently touching his ribs and checking things out.

"All right, it seems like you're healing up nicely, Mr. Bloom. Officer Depp has told me that Mr. Mortensen has expressed an interest in you staying with him. Is that right, Mr. Mortensen?"

“Yes, sir. I think Orlando will need some taking care of until he's healed, and there's still the issue of the person who did this to him. I don't think he'd be very safe on his own right now."

"And I'll be staying with them, Doc," Johnny added.

"Well, then if you think you're ready, Mr. Bloom, I'll go finish up the paperwork and you can leave."

"That's wonderful. I'm feeling rather claustrophobic in here. Not that I don't appreciate all your staff has done, but..."

"It's all right, Mr. Bloom. I understand. I'll be right back."

Viggo smiled and squeezed Orlando's hand gently. "My house isn't much, Orlando. Johnny could tell you that. But it's my home."

"I'm sure it's wonderful."

'It has to be with you there,' he added on silently.

Johnny looked around the room, obviously searching for something.

"Viggo, bud, what are we taking him home in? As I remember, he wasn't wearing anything when we found him, and I don't remember anyone getting anything for him since we've been here."

The nurse walking in the room heard the comment, offering that they could use a gown and robe, returning it later, to get Orlando home.

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

It wasn't long before the gown, robe, and paperwork were all sitting in Orlando's lap. He signed where he needed to and read through the medical advice before stiffly standing from the bed, his ribs protesting every single movement until there were tears in his eyes. He couldn't imagine how he was going to get changed.

"Johnny, could you wait outside please?" Viggo's soft voice interrupted his hazy, pain-filled thoughts and Orlando watched in surprise as the other man left the room, shutting the door quietly. He didn't protest when he felt Viggo's gentle hands move to the gown he was currently wearing, untying the cords in the back.

"I-I could have just stayed in this one," Orlando whispered.

"I know. But I can imagine wanting to wear a clean, fresh one home. There's no shame in that."

"Well, it would be nice, thank you. You really have been very nice to me. I'm not sure I can ever repay you."

"Shhh, you don't need to repay me for anything. You didn't ask me to help, I'm offering."

Viggo finished changing Orlando, settling him back onto the edge of the bed. Going to the door, he let Johnny know they were ready to go, if he'd please get the nurse.

Once the nurse cleared everything, Viggo gently helped Orlando into a wheelchair and out to Johnny's car. He carefully lowered Orlando into the passenger seat, struggling not to add to the pain the young man was experiencing. He buckled Orlando in, then slipped into the backseat while Johnny waited patiently behind the wheel.

"Johnny, can you bring us home and then go back out again to get some prescriptions for Orlando? They gave him some different stuff."

Johnny sighed. "Vig...How am I supposed to protect you two if I'm not there?"

"But I want to get him home as soon as possible."

"What say we call the station, see if maybe Charlie can do that for us? That way I can give you a hand with the patient. Speaking of, where are we putting him? There's no way he's going to make it up to your room."

"I thought maybe that small bedroom in the back that you use sometimes. It’s closer to the bath and the kitchen also."

"Okay." Johnny's hand tightened a bit on the steering wheel but he nodded and drove in silence to the house. He didn't notice Orlando watching him closely, or see the look of understanding that came into his eyes.

Johnny was thankful that, by the time they got to Viggo's house, Orlando was sleeping soundly. The medicine the hospital had given him, plus the stress, knocked the kid out cold. He got out of his car and quietly watched as Viggo gently picked Orlando up and started to move up the walk. Johnny finally moved, slipping ahead of them.

"Vig, Keanu knows where you live, right? Let me go in first, okay?"

"Thanks, Johnny. I hadn't thought of that."

"Hey, it's what they pay me all that money for. Just give me a minute to check things and I'll come back for you."

Viggo held Orlando easily as he watched Johnny slip into his house, gun drawn and senses on alert. He felt so thankful for his friend; he would never have given Keanu a thought and might have walked head-on into danger. Sometimes he wondered how he’d managed to live as long as he had.

He sighed and carefully shifted Orlando in his arms. The boy had a slight build but was rather tall; holding him was not the easiest thing in the world. But the feeling of his head on his shoulder felt too right, and besides, he needed the rest.

"Everything's clear."

~tbc~


	15. Chapter 15

Rating: PG – NC17 (PG this chapter)

 

Johnny held doors, and then turned back the bedding as Viggo carefully carried his sleeping armful into the house, laying him gently into the middle of the bed. Pulling the blankets up over Orlando's shoulders, he kissed him softly on the top of the head, then stepped out into the kitchen where Johnny was waiting for him.

"You're really attached to him already, Viggo. What if he doesn't feel the same after he's feeling better?"

"I'll deal with it when we get there, Johnny. Right now he needs me. And I intend to do my best to take care of him."

"Whatever, man. So, where've you got the phone stashed? I need to call the office and get the boy’s meds over here before he wakes up and starts hurting again."

Viggo blinked, looking around his cramped and messy living space. "Uh...well..."

Johnny groaned, "Where were you when you last used it?"

"The bedroom maybe?"

"I swear, one of these days I really am going to get you a phone with a cord."

"You've been saying that for years."

Johnny ambled up the stairs, coming back with the phone pressed to his ear, talking to Charlie, making sure he'd be there soon to pick up the prescriptions. Hanging up, he dropped the phone back in the charger.

"Vig, come here," he motioned, holding out his arms. "Listen, I'm worried, about the situation you and Orlando are in with Keanu, but also about you getting hurt again."

Stepping into his friend’s embrace, Viggo hugged him back. "We have you here to make sure nothing happens until they catch him again. And I promise, I'll be careful."

Johnny closed his eyes, squeezing the other man close. "You're already in love with him, Viggo. You don't think I can't tell?" He took a deep breath. "Vig...I-I think you're trying to recreate what you had with Keanu. In the hopes that if you get it right this time you won't feel guilty about what happened. And that's dangerous. I'm really worried. It wasn't your fault Keanu murdered those boys. And taking in Orlando won't bring them back."

Pulling back, Viggo looked Johnny in the eye. "I'm not, really. I've seen him around for a while now, long before any of this started. There's just something special there, John. He doesn't deserve to be treated the way he has been. And if he decides he doesn't want me, then he doesn't."

Johnny was just opening his mouth, when they heard a knock at the door. Moving apart, Johnny opened the door, letting Charlie inside.

"Where are the prescriptions?" Charlie asked, not put off at all by being forced to run errands; Detective Bean used to make him do it all the time.

"Here...we really appreciate this, Charlie," Johnny murmured, handing him the pieces of paper.

"No problem. Bean'll be here soon...he had to meet his daughter's teacher this morning for a conference."

"He has a daughter? He didn't strike me as a family man." Viggo's voice showed his surprise.

"He has a daughter, not a family," Charlie responded quietly, without judgment, as if just stating a fact before slipping back out the door with the prescriptions. "I'll bring these back as soon as possible."

Johnny locked the door, turning back to see an amazed Viggo.

"Funny, he didn't seem friendly enough to let anyone close enough to have kids."

"He's not a bad guy, Vig, he's just got a job to do. And with his department there just isn't much to be nice about."

As the two men visited with the familiarity of long friendship, Viggo started the kettle for tea. They sat and talked until Charlie got back with the meds, then spent the afternoon cleaning up the disaster that Viggo lived in.

They had just finished filling the last trash bag when the doorbell rang. Viggo dragged the multiple bags out back while Johnny went to the door and let Detective Bean in. When Viggo came back, Johnny was quietly putting some ice water in a pitcher.

"I know what these questioning sessions are like. You'll need lubrication."

"Thanks, Johnny. It means a lot to me that you're sticking around."

Sean settled down at the kitchen table, where Johnny had led him when he arrived.

"Mr. Mortensen, I'm really not here to make life any more unpleasant for you than can be helped. But you have some connections to explain. You also need to make me see why you would know where Mr. Bloom was, if you are not involved."

Taking a deep breath, Viggo sat down across from Sean, Johnny sitting between them.

"Keanu...is an ex-boyfriend of mine. He was a prostitute. He was, in fact, in the same position with Kate that Orlando held before she was killed. He...kept his job from me. Never told me what he did. When I found out...I lost it. Didn't give him a chance to explain, broke it off right then and there."

"That's quite a statement, Mr. Mortensen. Very to the point. I appreciate that. Have you had much contact since you 'broke it off'?"

"No, I haven't seen him since the day I asked him to move out, until yesterday in his loft. We haven't spoken in about two years."  
"So how is it then you knew to go to him today?"

Viggo glanced at Johnny, picking up the filled glass in front of him and drinking slowly, buying time to compose himself. Finally he set it back down, the cool water flowing down his throat. "We have a... connection, Detective. A mental one. One that I didn't realize existed until he started killing. And even then I didn't know who it was."

"A mental link," Sean stared at him incredulously. "So...what? You two share a brain or something?

"Sean, this is probably going to be hard for you to understand. I think maybe I might be some help here, since you know me. And I'd like to help Viggo as much as I can."

"What? You both want me to believe that he's some kind of psychic? Knows the future and all that?"

Viggo sat the glass back on the table and looked Sean calmly in the eyes.

"Not exactly. I don't know the future, no one does. But I can see things, sometimes as they happen, sometimes I hear people’s thoughts. I didn't know it was Keanu I was hearing and watching, though. Until yesterday, when I saw where he was, since I'd been there."

"You saw where he was."

"Yes. I've been feeling his anger for quite some time now. I knew when he killed. That's why I was at all of the scenes. But I never knew enough to stop him. It was frustrating. I've...never felt so hopeless in all my life."

Sean blinked, shocked at how old the man before him suddenly looked. It happened in an instant; the weight of his words seeming to crush his spirit and steal the laughter from his eyes. Viggo was no older than himself, and yet Sean could see hundreds of years reflected in his gaze for just a second before he blinked and they were gone.

"I, um, John, may I have some of that water?"

Johnny got up to grab another glass, filling it with iced water and passing it to Sean, who drank it in a few fast swallows.

"So, let me make sure I fully understand what you're trying to tell me. You've been able to feel what the killer feels? And sometimes you see things he's looking at?"

"Yes, I think that about sums it up."

Just then the door to the bedroom opened and Orlando wandered out, still stiff but looking more rested. As Sean watched, Orlando shuffled across the kitchen and insinuated himself into Viggo’s lap, laying his head on Viggo's shoulder and yawning widely.

Sean watched silently, then stood slowly, the look in Viggo's eyes and on his face still haunting him. "I can see Mr. Bloom still needs some time. I don't want to disturb him with all this. So I'll be coming back tomorrow and we can continue this. Charlie has agreed to relieve you, Johnny, if you need it."

"Naw, I'm good. I just feel safer keeping them under my watch, no offense to him."

Sean nodded and made for the door, struggling to sort out his emotions and feelings about what he had just seen and learned. Surely it was a bunch of bull shit. Had to be. Crazy talk.

Once in the car, he slowly pulled out his cell phone. "Cate? Can I come over?"

Johnny watched as Sean pulled away, then locked the house back up. Turning back to the pair at the table, he watched as Viggo stroked Orlando's back, talking to him quietly. Moving to the cupboards, he started rummaging around, looking for something he could fix for dinner.

"Johnny, you don't have to do that. I can get it," Viggo murmured, laying a kiss onto Orlando's forehead.

Johnny clenched his teeth slightly, but shook his head. "You have your hands full. I can do this."

Viggo nodded slightly and went back to comforting his young charge. As they sat down to dinner, Johnny's not-so-famous beans and franks, Viggo watched his friend quietly. Something was wrong. But once dinner was done, and they were getting ready for bed, he was still no closer to figuring out what it was.

"Viggo, I know you're putting Orlando in my...I mean the back bedroom. I'm sure he'll be fine in there. The only way into that room is through the kitchen, or that little window by the bed. I figured I'd crash on the couch, so I can hear anything. You've been up for two days now, maybe you need to get some rest. We'll be fine down here."

"I thought I'd let you have my room, and I'd stay here, in case Orlando needs anything. If something happens I can always yell for you."

Johnny tried to argue Viggo out of his plan, but he was insistent, and finally Johnny gave up and headed up the stairs to bed.

~tbc~


	16. Chapter 16

Rating: PG – NC17 (NC-17 this chapter)

 

Viggo had been asleep for a few hours before he was jarred from its depths, his eyes slowly opening, senses on high alert. Something was different. There was nothing wrong, or at least he couldn't feel anything, but something was off. He slowly sat up on the couch and flicked on the lamp, blinking. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, then jumped at a figure standing in the doorway.

"Orlando?"

Orlando shuffled into the room, stopping over Viggo, chewing at the edge of his thumb.

"I couldn't sleep. Strange place, and I keep thinking about stuff. I didn't want to be alone."

"But you need to be in bed, honey. You're still hurt."

"I was wondering," Orlando mumbled nervously,” maybe you'd come sleep with me? So I wouldn't have to be alone?"

Viggo looked up at him, watching him chew some more on the skin beside his nail. He looked so adorable, so irresistible. Not that he ever could resist him anyway.

He groaned inwardly as he stood, his limbs protesting from the few hours spent on the unforgiving, lumpy piece of furniture. His joints weren't as young as they used to be.

"All right, come on," he smiled and wrapped an arm around Orlando's shoulder, leading him back to the bedroom.

Viggo closed the door behind them, turning to watch as Orlando crawled into the double bed. He looked so frightened lying there, watching Viggo expectantly. Viggo smiled softly at him, and went to the other side, lifting the blankets and settling down beside Orlando. Reaching over to shut off the lamp, he found himself with an arm full of warm young man, who settled his head onto Viggo's chest.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then gently wrapped his arms around Orlando, stroking from the top of his head down to the middle of his back, rubbing there gently. When he was little and afraid, his mother used to spend many nights just rubbing his back until he fell asleep, so now it was a habit he slipped into easily.

Orlando hummed softly and cuddled in more, the feeling so comforting. He wondered if this man had ever had any children. He seemed like he would make a good dad, if one that was a little scatter brained. The question was out of his mouth before he even realized he had spoken out loud.

"Kids? No, I don't have any kids. Kind of hard, that, when you're gay."

"Oh...right...you and Reeves...I - I knew that, just..." Got lost, he thought, closing his eyes and breathing in Viggo's scent, mellow and warm.

Viggo lay there, holding Orlando gently, listening as his breathing slowed and evened out as he drifted off to sleep. It felt good to hold someone again. He hadn't been with anyone he could just cuddle and sleep with for so long. And even then it was just a couple of times to relieve tension for them both. The peace and comfort of being with Orlando let Viggo finally drift off, cradling the sleeping angel closely in his arms.

Orlando woke first, his eyes slowly opening as the first slivers of sunlight hit them. He groaned softly, turning and snuggling more tightly into Viggo's body, his morning erection pressing against the older man's thigh. Orlando shivered self-consciously, but the friction felt too good; he really didn't want to move.

His brown-haired head tipped upwards a bit, to check if Viggo was still sleeping before he pressed himself against him a bit harder, a quiet moan slipping out between his lips. He wondered what kind of a lover his bed partner was, if he was tender and gentle or hard and rough, or maybe a mixture of both? He sighed and rocked his hips a bit, imagining what it would feel like to have Viggo behind him, pushing into him, filling him, whispering tender words in his ears.

He knew he needed to stop, he was taking advantage of Viggo, after all that he'd done for him, but he was so worked up. Sliding his hand down under the blanket, he cupped the bulge he found between Viggo's thighs. Viggo wasn't really hard, but the handful Orlando was holding was quite impressive. He squeezed gently, slipping down to cup Viggo's loose balls, rolling them in his hand and appreciating the weight. He didn't notice that Viggo's eyes were now open and watching him until he heard a low moan.

Orlando looked up timidly, stilling his motions, although his hand didn't move from its spot between the older man's legs. "I - I'm sorry, I just...you felt so good and...shit, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done this, you've been so nice to me--"

"Orlando, shut up and kiss me."

He looked up with wide eyes, then grinned and lowered his head, pressing their lips together while squeezing Viggo's hardening cock in his hand. The other man groaned and entangled his hands in the young man's hair, spreading his legs a bit more while making sure to maintain contact with Orlando's erection.

Orlando rolled himself between Viggo's legs, pressing their covered erections together, sighing into the kiss. Viggo was every bit as sweet tasting as he imagined. Breaking apart for want of air, Orlando started exploring further, moving down to nip at Viggo's chin and run the tip of his tongue into the deep cleft he found there.

Viggo shuddered and arched his hips into the younger man's body, his head falling back and exposing his throat, something which Orlando quickly took advantage of. His mouth nipped gently at Viggo’s adam's apple before making its way down his neck, tasting and licking the sweet and salty skin.

"Orlando..." Viggo moaned out loud, pressing his hips up harder and wishing he could open himself even more. He felt hands pulling his t-shirt up and allowed it to be taken off, whimpering at the soft, butterfly kisses that were pressed to his shoulders.

Orlando scattered kisses and light nips as he traveled down Viggo's chest, tugging at the golden hair covering the muscled expanse. Coming to his peaked nipples, Orlando ran his tongue around first one then the other, enjoying the sounds coming from above. Viggo arched his back, pressing up into Orlando's mouth as he suckled at the hard teat.

"Gods you're good at this," Viggo gasped out softly, his cock leaking slowly, making a small wet mark form on his sweats.

Orlando chuckled dryly. "I should be, yea?" he murmured, biting down just a bit roughly on the pebbled nipple.

Viggo's eyes closed. Right. Prostitute. But still...this felt damn good, too good to just be a casual fuck. He gently caressed Orlando's head, bending a bit and placing a kiss on the top of his curls.

"But there are some things..." the mouth traveled to the other nipple, sucking and nibbling, “Some things that I only do for nonpaying lovers..."

"Oh - really?" Viggo's voice was heavy with arousal, his words panted out between breaths. "Like?"

Lifting his face away from Viggo's chest, he grinned, "You'll just have to wait and see," and returned to worrying the tight nubbins.

Viggo flopped back onto the bed, groaning deeply. He wasn't sure how much more he was going to be able to take, and Orlando hadn't done much yet.

Orlando smiled against the abused flesh, and started moving lower, nibbling at Viggo’s stomach and dipping his tongue into his bellybutton, swirling it around. Orlando pulled at the sagging sweats on Viggo's hips, tugging until Viggo lifted his hips allowing the material to be pulled down.

"Are you clean?"

The voice asking was so soft and subtle that Viggo wasn't sure he had even heard it. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down; Orlando was putting all of his efforts into making Viggo’s tummy muscles jump and contract, and wasn't acknowledging that he had spoken a word.

"I'm clean," he whispered, stroking the boy's cheek. "I haven't had a lover, without protection...in a long time. And I still get tested at least once a year."

"Me too...more often, obviously. But good. Because I really..." his teeth pulled gently on the trail of hair leading down.

"Want..." his breath ghosted over Viggo's erection.

"To do this without a condom," he finished finally, then parted his lips and took Viggo's quivering flesh between his lips.

Viggo gasped, back arching off the bed, wanting to thrust into the hot cavern of Orlando's mouth and trying his best not to.

Orlando used every trick he knew to give Viggo as much pleasure as possible. Swirling his tongue around the head, pulling back to lap at the weeping slit, then swallowing him down to the root and sucking hard.

"Fuck!" Viggo practically screamed, any hope of keeping it down for the sleeping Johnny's sake forgotten. "Orlando! Ahhh!"

Orlando grinned around the flesh in his mouth, his fingers moving up and tickling the sensitive area between Viggo’s balls and anus, pressing and probing, driving him crazy with lust. Viggo’s body went rigid, hands holding tight to Orlando's hair as he came, pouring himself down the accommodating throat hard and fast.

Viggo collapsed back onto the bed, body still shuddering with aftershocks, as Orlando licked him clean and then crawled up to lie next to the panting man. Orlando looked down at Viggo, watching as his eyelashes fluttered over flushed cheeks before opening his eyes and smiling back.

Rolling to gather Orlando into his arms, Viggo was poked by Orlando's straining cock.

"Want me to take care of that for you, Angel?"

"Angel?" Orlando whispered, looking up at him with large eyes.

Viggo smiled sheepishly. "It - you were sleeping and it just...seemed to fit. You looked so beautiful, so pristine, and your face...If there are heavenly beings out there, you are what I imagine them to look like."

Orlando swallowed hard. An angel. Since taking a position with Kate, he never thought of himself as anything but a whore. A well-paid whore, and a desirable whore certainly, but a whore nonetheless. Before he had become Kate's assistant, he had many customers who would make sure he knew that's all he was, and he had internalized it as his identity.

Orlando realized he had been silent for far too long when Viggo's voice, small and concerned, broke through his thoughts. "If - if you don't like it I certainly won't call you that anymore. I just-"

Orlando shook his head. "No. I love it. Thank you. So much," he whispered, leaning up and locking lips with the older man again, fingers slipping into his hair and touching his face. "Although I say that you're the angel, not me."

Sealing his mouth to the younger man, trying to pour everything he felt into the kiss, Viggo made love to Orlando with his lips, teeth and tongue, until he had to pull away to gasp for breath.

Orlando snuggled closer, trying to keep every inch of his body he could pressed against the older man. This all felt so right. Viggo couldn't help but feel the hard nudge against his side.

Sliding down, Viggo lavished all the attention he could on Orlando's body, tugging at his shirt, and then his boxers, until he had the young man naked and splayed out under him.

"You are gorgeous...look at you...perfect. So perfect," Viggo whispered, leaning down to repay the wonderful pleasure Orlando had given him, loving the flattered blush that slowly darkened the younger man's cheeks. He grinned up at him, then wrapped his fingers around the curved erection that sprouted from the dusky curls, his thumb flicking the head softly.

"Vig..." The name was whimpered as his hips flexed restlessly, watching and feeling Viggo's mouth worship the skin over his hips and thighs, his talented fingers playing over Orlando's cock, it all was driving him to madness.

Viggo lapped at the weeping slit, tasting his lover for the first time. Orlando gasped and tried not to buck, but Viggo smiled as he watched the younger man start to lose control. Pressing a kiss to the head, he slid his lips around the edge, and bobbed his head, sucking firmly as he worked the rigid shaft further and further into his mouth.

"Viggo...Shit...god..." Orlando struggled to complete a coherent thought, but all was lost as soon his battle was not with speaking but just to keep breathing. He lifted his arms over his head, clutching the spokes of Viggo's headboard, body arching up, pleasure shooting through him.

The men on the bed were so intent on each other that neither of them saw the shadowy form outside the window, staring in at them, teeth bared in a silent growl. One hand was braced against the side of the house as he watched them, his other was over his fly, stroking his growing erection through his pants. His fingers clenched against the siding, fingernails cracking under the pressure as he imagined making the little slut watch while he raped Viggo over and over. The mad anger was back, he could feel it growing, and he would make them pay.

~tbc~


	17. Chapter 17

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

As Viggo and Orlando settled in, sated and sleepy, dozing off in each other’s arms, Johnny was lying in bed in the room above them. He'd known this was coming, he could see how Viggo felt about Orlando from the moment they had stepped into Keanu's loft. He just hadn't thought they'd consummate their feelings so soon, or so loudly. He wanted only the best for his friend, but it hurt inside to listen to them making love. Sighing, he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbing for his jeans. Maybe some coffee and a cigarette would help how he was feeling.

As he sat in the kitchen alternating between taking a drag on his cigarette and drinking slowly from his cup, Sean was sitting in Cate's kitchen, shaking his head slowly.

"You're shitting me. You're one of them too?"

"One of 'them'? Jesus, Sean, you make me sound like a freak of nature or something. No, I assure you, we're quite normal."

Sean snorted, well aware that Cate was watching him intently. Yet despite his outward disdain, he couldn’t help but shiver, his fingers clutched around his cup, his mind spinning in a million directions. Cate claimed to have the same ability as Mortensen. She could see things and feel the emotions of other people, especially strong emotions. She had found herself sensing things, things she never should have known. Cate had no reason to lie to him. So if Cate was telling the truth, didn't that mean Mortensen was too?

He finally looked up from his cup, struggling with his reaction. The silence had gotten slightly uncomfortable, at least to him, and it irritated him that Cate didn’t seem bothered. He slowly opened his mouth to speak, when his phone's ring cut him off. He sighed and slipped it out of his pocket, flipping it open. "Detective Bean."

"Detective Bean, this is John Davies. You came by my house a short time back, asking about that neighbor of mine, the one who likes men. You said to call you if I had anything else to share."

"Yes, Mr. Davies, I remember you quite well. What can I do for you?" Sean asked, pulling a notebook and pen out.

"Well, I don't want you to think I was snooping or anything....."

"No, no, of course not," spill it man, he thought.

"Well, I was looking out my window just a bit ago. I'd just gotten up and was checking the weather and all. I noticed someone in that man's back yard, looking in a window. I can't swear to it, but the person looked a lot like the man he used to live with."

Sean almost dropped the pen he was writing with. This guy thought he’d seen Reeves in the back yard.

"Thank you, Mr. Davies. I'll be sending someone over to check that out right away." He stood up so quickly that the chair he was in fell to the floor with a clatter. "I...need to go, Cate. Thanks for the coffee and the uh, chat. I'll think about what you said."

"You should be forced to step out of that small, narrow comfort zone of yours more often, Sean. You're really quite delightful when completely freaked out."

Sean let out a bark of a laugh, shaking his head. “You’re a nutter, Cate.” He grabbed his keys and phone off the table and headed for the door.

Cate chuckled softly, listening to Sean muttering to himself as he walked out, something about calling Charlie, and then something about Reeves and Mortensen. She thought she heard the words “crazy” in the mix as well. Always an adventure, these late-night chats, she thought with a smile. But she couldn't admit to not enjoying his company.

Sean didn’t have much time to think about their conversation while he sped towards Mortensen's house, as his cell was clutched to his ear, his foot heavy on the gas. "Charlie! Wake up. Meet me at Mortensen's. Reeves was spotted there by that nosy bastard, Davies."

Sean didn’t wait for a response before hanging up his phone, and he gripped the steering wheel harder, hoping against all that nothing had happened. By the time he got to the house, the cigarette he had lit to calm his nerves was almost gone, so he stubbed it in the ashtray and took a deep breath before getting out and walking to the front door. He hadn't called the house to let them know he was coming; he didn't want to cause any more problems than they might already have.

Johnny looked up from his coffee cup at the sound of a knock on the door, slowly rising and heading for the front of the house. He figured that Viggo and Orlando were too wound up to even hear anything, and he didn’t want them answering the door anyway. He looked through the peep-hole, raised an eyebrow, then opened the door. "Yes?"

He was surprised when Sean stepped in quickly, practically pushing him against the wall to make room for him as he slammed the door closed.

"A neighbor whom I had contact with at the beginning of this case just called me. He saw a figure outside. He said it looked like the guy Mr. Mortensen used to live with," Sean explained in a rush, looking back out front again through the window.

Johnny's eyes grew wide and he swore loudly. "We let our guard down. I should have known better."

"I've called Charlie on the way over; he should be here soon. Where are your charges? We should get them into a central location. Then one of us will have a check around outside."

"In bed. I'll get them."

Johnny turned back into the kitchen. As much as he didn't really want to see them right now, they needed to be protected. It was his job.

The knock on the bedroom door roused both men from the sleepy bliss they had settled into in each other’s arms, and Viggo lifted his head lazily. "Yea?"

"Vig, Sean is here. Can I come in?"

Viggo blinked, then reached and dragged the blanket across them both before calling Johnny in. His long-time friend slipped into the room and stared at a spot just next to Viggo's head.

"Look, you two need to get dressed. A neighbor called Sean and told him he saw someone lurking outside. We're pretty sure it was Keanu."

"Shit. Orlando, baby, wake up honey," Viggo stroked the cheek of the sleeping man on his chest.

"Mmmmm, don' wanna', fine right here."

"Angel, we have to get up. It's not safe in here now."

Orlando's eyes popped open and his body stiffened. "Why, what happened? I thought we were going to be all right here."

"Me too." Viggo rolled to the side, grabbing for his sweats.

Johnny turned, unable to watch them as they scrambled for clothes.

Orlando was trembling as he pulled on the clothes Viggo had let him borrow, the stress at having his precarious security ripped away affecting him. Viggo wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him as they left the room, Johnny leading the way.

Sean blinked at the hard yet sad expression on the other policeman's face, wondering what exactly was going on. His eyebrows practically disappeared into his hair, however, at the tousled appearance of the two following him. "Well I'm glad you two had a relaxing night," he said harshly, ignoring how Orlando shrank back.

Johnny opened his mouth, ready to defend his friend, but was stopped by Viggo almost growling at the other officer.

"No, as a matter of fact, Detective, we didn't have a relaxing night. Orlando was frightened and asked me to sleep with him so he'd feel safer. Maybe if you didn't just assume things, you'd get a hell of a lot more cooperation from people."

Taking Orlando by the hand, Viggo led him back to the kitchen and poured them both a cup of coffee before returning to the front room and settling on the couch, Orlando safely tucked under his arm.

By the time the two men got settled, Charlie was at the door and Johnny was letting him in. "I saw nothing outside, sir. I drove around the neighborhood too to get here...nothing."

"We need to move them to a safe house. It was stupid to think they'd be okay here. We can't risk Reeves getting them."

Orlando looked from Sean to Charlie and back before turning to Viggo.

"He was here? But, if he didn't hurt us, didn't try to come in, why do we have to leave?"

"Because we can't promise he won't try to come in next time. You just aren't safe here, Mr. Bloom."

"Sean," Johnny nodded towards the kitchen, wanting to talk to the Detective privately, "I don't think a safe house is the best answer for them. They aren't your average victims. Keanu doesn't know me, or anything about me. They'd be safe at my house."

"Johnny, I know Mr. Mortensen is your friend, but I would feel better if they were under official police protection."

"Sean, no one in my neighborhood even knows I'm a cop. I work mostly undercover, remember? They really won't be safer anywhere else. Keanu is a smart man. I promise not to let my guard down just because we're at my home. I did it once and Christ only knows what might have happened to them had Keanu actually tried something. It won't happen again."

Sean looked over his shoulder at the two men in the front room.

"You know this is against my better judgment. I'm still not sure it's the safest thing for them. But you're right, they won't be very comfortable while being watched over every moment. But I'm going to arrange for someone else to be there with you. Two guns are better than one."

Johnny nodded slowly in agreement before quietly asking Viggo to go pack some clothes, enough for both him and Orlando, even though Orlando swam in the ones belonging to the older man. But they couldn't risk going back to Orlando's, since Keanu knew where he lived too.

Orlando slowly followed Viggo upstairs to his room, watching as he shoved some clothes into a duffel bag. "I'm sorry I'm so much trouble," he whispered softly, his voice small.

Viggo looked up, abandoning the clothes and moving to the younger man’s side, wrapping him in a hug. "It's not your fault. Don't think like that. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe." He gently tipped Orlando's head up to kiss him softly, holding him tight.

Whatever it takes, he promised again silently, holding him tighter. No matter what.

~tbc~


	18. Chapter 18

Rating: PG – NC17 (NC-17 this chapter)

 

While they waited for Viggo and Orlando to come back downstairs, Johnny straightened up the kitchen, washing the few dishes and turning things off. Finally, they couldn't put off leaving any longer and he started for the stairs to get his friend and charge. Charlie cut him off at the first step.

"I'll go get them, Johnny. You don't need to."

Johnny looked at Charlie in surprise. Shit, was he that obvious? He stepped back down though and let the younger man pass. "Thanks," he murmured quietly, running a nervous hand through his hair.

Charlie nodded and moved up the stairs, knocking lightly on the partly-opened door and only catching a glimpse of the two men embracing. "We really need to go, gentlemen."

Viggo looked up guiltily and gently let Orlando go before scooping up the duffel and going to the door. "He needed reassurance."

Charlie arched an eyebrow at the defensive tone. "I didn't say anything, Mr. Mortensen."

"I'm sorry, Officer, I just have the feeling that the Detective isn't very fond of us. And please, call me Viggo. Mr. Mortensen is too formal."

"He doesn't mean any harm, Mr...I mean Viggo. This case has just been real hard on him."

Viggo nodded, taking Orlando by the hand and leading him back down the stairs.

Sean nodded his head and proceeded out the door, and Johnny ushered Viggo and Orlando to go between them. Charlie followed last, flipping off lights and locking the door on his way out.

Viggo and Orlando slipped into Johnny's car, with Sean and Charlie following in theirs. Johnny had told the officers where he lived, and they each took different routes to get there. Luckily, neither one thought they had been followed.

As Johnny parked in the driveway, Sean and Charlie pulled up across the street.

"Vig, you and Orlando stay in the car, with the doors locked. Charlie and I are going to check the place first, just to be safe."

Viggo nodded, pulling Orlando against him for comfort. The younger man was shuddering and biting at his fingers again.

"Everything will be all right here, Orlando. Johnny wouldn't put us anywhere we'd be in danger."

"I - I trust you. I'm just afraid. I can't help it."

"I know, sweetheart. I know." Viggo kissed his forehead, rubbing his arms gently. "Just remember...I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The promise was barely out of his mouth before gunshots rent the air. Viggo's head shot up, Orlando whimpering in fear. "Shit!"

Viggo lunged across the seat for the keys that were still in the ignition, his only thought being to get Orlando to safety. He hesitated though, his mind flying. Johnny, shit, his friend could be hurt! But Orlando needed to be secure. Wasn't that what mattered?

As Viggo sat there, torn between checking on Johnny and getting Orlando out of harm’s way, Sean came dashing across the street from his car. Just as he reached the side of the house, gun drawn, Johnny and Charlie came running around from the back.

Viggo slumped in the car, an audible sigh of relief escaping from his lips. He watched as the men stood there, talking and looking around for the source of the shots. Finally, coming up to the window, Johnny leaned down as Viggo lowered the glass.

"Seems we've had a drive-by in the neighborhood, they do happen around here sometimes. If you would rather go to the safe house, we can do that."

"Shit, Johnny! I think I just had a fuckin' heart attack!" Viggo slumped back in the seat, running a shaking hand through his hair. He glanced at Orlando, his stomach dropped at the tears of fear that were in the younger man's eyes. He reached out and gently brushed them away. "It's up to you, Orlando. Where ever you want to go is fine with me."

Orlando leaned into the gentle hand, trembling. "I...we-can stay here," he whispered finally. "Maybe...the safest place is among people like him."

Viggo nodded, turning back to his friend, and now protector.

"We're staying. I know that if anything were to happen, you'd be here to take care of it."

Sean stepped up to the door, "Actually, Charlie will be here too. I'm having him stay as backup. No sense taking chances."

Viggo nodded in agreement again, and reached to open the door. Grabbing the bag from the back seat, he helped Orlando out of the car.

It took a while for everyone to get settled in again, Charlie on the couch, Viggo and Orlando in the back room, Johnny in his own, and Sean back on his way home, but it happened eventually. Viggo held Orlando's body until it stopped trembling and he finally fell asleep. Johnny tossed and turned restlessly until finally he got back up and walked quietly down the stairs to get something to read.

"You loved him once, didn't you?"

The voice made him jump, and he turned around to squint at the form on the couch in the dark. "'Scuse me?"

"Viggo," Charlie said in a low voice, sitting up. "I can see it when you look at them together."

Johnny slumped down on the end of the couch, his head falling into his hands.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Not to most people, probably. Sean hasn't picked it up, and I don't think the other two see much besides each other right now."

"We...before Keanu happened. We were together, yes. After he broke up with him, he re-bounded back to me for a bit too. Just comfort sex really. I've probably always loved him. I don't think he has any idea. Never did."

Charlie reached out and gripped Johnny's arm, trying to give some comfort.

"It'll be all right. You'll find someone else one of these days, and forget about him."

"Like he's forgotten about me? Not bloody likely."

Charlie sighed. "Have you tried moving on?"

"What do you mean? Of course I have."

But had he? As he gazed at the younger man, he knew in his heart that no, he hadn't. "How the hell did you get so damn smart? You're just a kid?"

Charlie chucked at Johnny's grumbling. "I'm just special that way."

"Thanks, Charlie. I'm glad you're the one they stuck with us. Someone else might not have had your patience."

"Hey, no problem. What say we get something to eat and then try going back to sleep for the night? After all the uproar the last few days, you have to be beat."

"Yeah, I could do with a little food and some coffee. Come on, I'll show you around the kitchen."

As the two men rummaged for something to eat, Viggo was watching Orlando twitch and change positions. The younger man had switched about five times now, his head rolling from Viggo's shoulder to his chest and then back again, his legs moving from being thrown over Viggo's own to being splayed out across the bed.

Viggo gently stroked his curls. "Need to talk?"

"Need a distraction."

"Distraction, huh? I might be able to come up with something."

Viggo rolled Orlando over and nestled between his spread legs. Looking deeply into Orlando's dark chocolate eyes, he was amazed at the trust and care he saw there. Lowering himself slowly onto the other man's body, he pressed their mouths together. Viggo went slowly, gently, nipping at the sweet lips under his, running his tongue along the seam of Orlando's mouth asking entrance, until the younger man opened and let him inside, sucking at Viggo's tongue and following it back into his mouth to taste and explore all the delicious dark corners.

Orlando practically melted in Viggo's arms, his mind going blank, fingers clutching at clothing, hair, the covers of the bed, whatever they could find as his lover's passion threatened to drive all the breath from his lungs. He moaned into the kiss, heady pleasure filling his body.

Viggo pulled back, both men gasping for breath. Watching as Orlando started to come apart from something as simple as a kiss made his heart swell. Viggo wanted him, so badly he ached. He feathered light kisses across Orlando's face, grazing his cheeks, his chin, moving down to suck and worship Orlando's long, slender neck.

Orlando moaned and whimpered quietly, tilting his head back, wanting Viggo to mark all the skin he could, wanting to be visually claimed as the man's one and only.

As if sensing his need, Viggo bit down, first gently then with increasing force until the mark under his lips was deep red and throbbing. Orlando whimpered and arched his hips up, rubbing and writhing as Viggo lifted his head just enough to see the mark before licking it with small, soothing swipes.

"More," Orlando moaned.

Viggo pushed up, grabbing the hem of Orlando's shirt and pulling at it, until between them they had it off and tossed to the floor. Orlando's boxers followed rapidly, leaving him splayed out against the white sheets for Viggo to gaze upon.

Lowering himself back down onto the honeyed flesh under him, Viggo captured a peaked nipple between his teeth, worrying the nub until it was a solid pebble between his lips, then moving to the other side of the heaving chest to lavish the same attentions on its partner, loving the needy moans and sighs coming from the kiss-swollen lips of his lover.

"Vig...I - I want...I want you inside me..." Orlando panted out, fingers finally settling in the older man's hair and tugging.

Viggo looked up at him. "Are you sure, Angel?"

"Very. Please..." he whimpered, bending his knees and spreading himself as wide as he could, revealing himself to Viggo's gaze. He watched as Viggo pulled off his own clothes, then reached over into a drawer and found a box of condoms and some lube.

"That's...convenient..." he managed to murmur though his haze, watching Viggo spread the slippery stuff on his fingers.

"I...used to spend a lot of time in this house," Viggo murmured evasively, before moving his finger down and probing, hoping to discourage any more questions.

While the cool, slick fingers circled and nudged at his opening, Viggo bent forward, enveloping Orlando's pulsing cock in his mouth, suckling and bobbing, distracting him as first one, and then another finger entered the tight opening, stretching and probing until he found the little bump inside that had Orlando shrieking and trying to lift off the bed. Viggo grinned around the mouthful, tapping his finger against the bundle of nerves as he continued to open Orlando up.

"Close! Fuck! Not - like that!" Orlando gasped, jerking hard on Viggo's hair, wanting Viggo inside him desperately.

Viggo grinned like the cat that ate the canary and slowly let Orlando slip from his mouth. Feeling that he was ready, and just about at bursting himself, he slowly moved up the man's body and claimed his swollen lips in another kiss. He guided himself to the quivering hole, condoms forgotten completely, then slowly, gently started to push in.

Orlando threw his head back, a long, low groan coming from deep in his chest. He'd had many men before, but never bare, and never one that made his soul burn like this one. The feeling of having Viggo inside was more intense, more fulfilling that anything he'd ever experienced.

"God, Baby, you’re so tight and hot. I don't think this is going to last very long."

"Don't care, feels so good. Just move, please."

Viggo moaned and kept moving until he was fully seated, then his body started to move again, thrusting in and out slowly, struggling to keep control over himself and not come too soon. Orlando pushed himself up, rubbing his cock against Viggo's belly, desperate for friction.

It didn't take long for Viggo's thrusts to grow erratic and needy, and he reached down and wrapped a commanding yet gentle hand around Orlando's weeping erection. "Come for me, Angel...just for me..." he rasped, twisting his wrist.

Orlando thrust up into the firm hand, pumping himself into Viggo's fist harder and harder until he erupted, thick globules of liquid spraying between Viggo's fingers and coating both their stomachs and chests, as Orlando loudly voiced his pleasure, chanting Viggo's name.

Watching Orlando come apart, all from his actions, and the rippling contractions around his manhood, threw Viggo off the precipice, following Orlando into bliss, a heartfelt 'Orlando' rumbling from deep within.

Viggo collapsed onto Orlando, both men exhausted. They lay there, still entwined, until Viggo regained some of his senses and rolled to the side, his softened cock slipping from inside Orlando. Gathering the sweaty man against himself, Viggo fumbled until he found a discarded shirt, wiping them both clean.

As Viggo tenderly cleaned his lover, many tender kisses and soft murmurs accompanying the action, Johnny and Charlie stared at each other from across the kitchen table.  
“They’re not…going to, uh, do that every night, are they?”

“Knowing Viggo? Probably.”

Charlie groaned and sank further in his seat, rubbing his eyes. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

~tbc~


	19. Chapter 19

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

Johnny just smiled at his new friends’ reaction. It was really pretty obvious that Charlie hadn't been around gay men very much, and certainly not one with Viggo's appetite.

"Come on, Charlie. We need to get some rest. Unless you want to sit up and see if they're going for another round."

"NO! I mean, um, yeah, we should get some sleep. Never know what will happen tomorrow."

Johnny smiled, grabbing the empty dishes and putting them in the sink, plenty of time to worry about them in the morning. And he'd rather be in the other end of the house, with the door closed, just in case there was another round. Although how they had the energy for that first one after the last few days was beyond him.

Meanwhile, Captain Jones was just hanging up the phone after checking in with Detective Bean, his heart heavy, although he would never let Bean know it. His Orlando had been in trouble, and Tommy hadn't been able to do a damn thing about it.

Tommy was a practical man. Love wasn't something that really existed in his life. He had never been married, had never had kids, and had spent most of his adult life building names for himself while hiding what he truly was. Captain was one of his names, hard ass was another, asshole was yet one more.

Fag, however, was not a name that anyone would ever associate with him. He had made sure of that a long time ago. The station locker room was not a place that was friendly to homosexuals. Most openly gay cops got run out of the profession within a year. Intolerance was equally dead and not so; in most stations, racism was something that wasn't tolerated and nigger was not something that was heard often, if ever. Homophobia, on the other hand (and all those nasty words that went with it), was alive and kicking, and Tommy knew that if he was going to get anywhere in life he had to hide that part of himself away. He’d contented himself with whores and prostitutes, rotating them regularly, until Orlando came along.

Orlando was something special. He'd met the young man when he stopped in to see Kate one day, looking for a new companion. Orlando had been there, lounging on the couch reading. He was the most beautiful thing Tommy had seen in a long time. Dark curls framing his face, long slender body and limbs, and when he looked up and smiled, his chocolate brown eyes sparkled. From that day on Tommy hadn't asked for, or seen, another man.

It wasn't love, that much Tommy was sure of. He wasn't one of those fools who tried to convince themselves that they weren't in love when they really were. Orlando had no place in Tommy's heart, but he had managed to worm himself into other places; his thoughts, for instance, especially when they turned to the sexual side of things. He had been constantly worried that the boy was going to turn up dead, and yet there was nothing he really could have done. Prostitution was something that he had an entire squad working on daily, busting customers and breaking up rings, and yet he discreetly made sure Kate and her boys had been left alone.

But that was all the protection he could give. And obviously it hadn't been enough.

Now he had to worry that this sick bastard was going to find Orlando. The man had made it pretty clear that he was a target, and that he intended to track the boy down. Tommy knew that Orlando was stashed in a safe place, for now. What he needed to do was start pushing to find the killer, this Keanu. And stop him before he hurt or killed someone else, or worse, found Orlando again.

Which brought him to his conversation with Bean. The man had been exhausted and snappish, although Tommy didn't begrudge him. Bean's life had been turned into a nightmare with this case, and Tommy wasn't heartless, despite rumors. So he had, for once, taken the Detective's attitude in stride and managed to work out a plan to keep Orlando safe, with Pennyworthy and Bean rotating so that someone would always be with Depp.

Depp. Now there was a wild card and a half. He still wasn't completely satisfied with the "they're just friends" excuse Bean had given him. He turned back to his computer. Maybe it was time to do some research on the eccentric narcotics officer.

Two hours, and a lot of research later, Tommy wasn't much closer to an answer. Depp had been with the department for quite a few years, had never married, had no kids, and he couldn't even find a mention of a girlfriend. The man seemed to be a loner.

Tommy sat there staring at the screen when something occurred to him - Depp sounded an awful lot like himself.

Tommy rubbed his eyes, sighed, and stood up. Enough for tonight.

As Tommy locked his office and headed home for the night, Keanu paced the floor, frustrated by the sudden disappearance of Viggo and Orlando. He knew Viggo's friend Johnny was either in on hiding them, or knew where they were. But Keanu had no idea how to find Johnny. The man had dropped in all the time at Viggo's, but they'd never gone to his house to visit.

"Goddamn you, Viggo," Keanu cursed out loud, hitting the wall nearest to him with an open palm. Viggo had been a private man who took a very long time to open up to him. At the time he had loved him for it, loved the special feeling he got whenever his new, exciting lover peeled away another layer for Keanu to see. Now, it just pissed him off that he hadn't gotten further into the bastard's world.

Keanu looked around the dank basement sagely, his anger ebbing a bit. He had to think rationally. How could he find out where those two had gone? Viggo never had many friends, and he had a feeling that Johnny was all the man had left. He'd never been friendly with his neighbors, especially that nosy asshole down a few blocks, who always peered out his window at them when they walked--

That nosy asshole.

Perfect.

If anyone knew anything, it would be him. He saw everything in the area, nothing escaped his prying.

Grabbing his jacket, Keanu headed out the door and up the back stairs. No point in going out the front, he was pretty sure the police were still watching the building, hoping to catch him. He just wasn't going to give them that chance.

Crossing the empty lot behind the old factory, Keanu headed back to his old neighborhood. Mr. Davies was in need of a visit and a long chat.

Unfortunately for Keanu, Davies was not in the mood for a chat. The stout man was more for slamming the door in Keanu's face, but Keanu was too quick for the man and got the tip of his boot into the space before the door slammed shut. It banged back with a groan and Keanu stepped into the house, watching the fear grow in Davies' eyes.

"Hello you nosy little fucker...how are we doing today?"

"Get - get out of my house!"

"I don't think so, sport. We need to have a nice visit. You know things, and I need some information."

Keanu shut the door behind himself, advancing on the older man. Grabbing him by the arm, Keanu forced him into the living room. An hour later, he was washing up in the kitchen. Mr. Davies hadn't been very happy about telling him anything, but with a little persuasion, he now knew where to find Viggo and the whore. Glancing into the living room as he left, he was amazed at how loudly the old man had screamed, smiling at the spreading crimson pool coming from beside the sofa.

Viggo's neighborhood was quiet, but it wasn't dead, and someone was bound to hear. Which is why Sean found himself being awakened out of a rather delightful dream, filled with soft moans and gentle female touches, by the ringing of the phone.

"Uhgn?"

"D-Detective Bean? It's Margaret. I-I heard something strange coming from Mr. Davies’ house. Screams."

Sean's sleep-fogged brain tried to catch who and what was being said. Suddenly it dawned on him.

"I'm sorry, Margaret, what did you say? It sounded something like you heard screams from Mr. Davies’ house?"

"Yes sir. About half an hour ago. It sounded like he was being hurt, and then it stopped. I haven't heard a thing since, and all the lights are on. I knocked at the door, but no one answers."

"Stay inside, and lock your doors, Margaret. I'll have a patrol car there as fast as possible, and I'll be there myself."

Hanging up, Sean rolled out of bed and grabbed for his clothes. This didn’t sound good, not good at all.

~tbc~


	20. Chapter 20

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

The scene at Davies’ house was a nightmare. The body was barely recognizable, the face having been caved in by a blunt object, an object that was found to be a metal meat tenderizer from Davies' own kitchen. He had obviously been hit and kicked several times prior to being beaten with the instrument. Sean felt queasy staring at him, and soon looked away, wishing he could take Charlie away from Bloom's side to make his partner deal with this. But now with their informant dead, Sean had a feeling they were going to need more protection than ever at Depp's house.

Cate watched Sean's reaction with knowing eyes, and subtly increased her pace. "You don't really need to be here, Sean. I think they found some other evidence in the kitchen you might want to look at."

"Thanks, Cate," he murmured, stepping carefully around the bloody mess that used to be Mortensen's neighbor while taking out his phone. "Charlie? It's Sean. Davies has been murdered. I'm sending over another unit now. Not sure what Reeves got out of him, but it can't hurt to have more help."

Johnny sat and watched as Charlie talked to Sean. He noticed that Charlie was looking a little pale, and his hand shook slightly as he hung up the phone.

"What happened?"

Charlie took a deep breath, turning to look steadily at Johnny.

"That was Sean. There's been another murder, one a lot closer to Viggo than the others. They...god, Johnny, this isn't good....they're at his neighbor's, Mr. Davies. Someone, most likely Reeves, killed him. They think he probably went there looking for information. Sean's pretty shaken by how brutal it is. Takes a lot to shake him."

"Shit! What does he want us to do?"

"He said he's sending a patrol car over, and to call when they get here."

"I'd better go tell Viggo. He was never too fond of Davies--nosy git he was--but they were neighbors. And Orlando needs to know that Reeves may know more now."

"Do you want me to go?"

"No, Charlie. I can do it. Thank you though," he patted the man on the shoulder before heading for the room.

Johnny hesitated as he got to the door. The pair inside hadn't gotten up yet, but it was still really early. Hopefully they were sleeping. He rapped on the door gently.

"Yeah," Viggo called out softly.

"Can I come in for a minute, Vig? I need to talk to you both."

"Sure, Johnny."

Opening the door, he found Viggo sitting against the headboard, Orlando stretched out next to him, his head in Viggo's lap.

"What's wrong, John? You don't look good."

"Viggo...Sean just called. He was at the house of one of your neighbors, the one who called in the intruder alert."

"Davies? Why was he there again?"

"Vig...Mr. Davies...is dead. He was murdered, and apparently it was...messy. Sean's positive it was Reeves, and thinks we're in more trouble know. He's sending a black and white over."

Orlando gasped, scaring Johnny. He’d thought the boy was still sleeping. Viggo stroked Orlando's hair, murmuring soothingly to him.

"So what does he want us to do? If Keanu is tracking us, it doesn't matter where we go, he's going to find us eventually."

"I know, I was thinking the same thing. I wanted your opinion on what to do now. You can stay here, and we can beef up protection, or we can move you both to the safe house."

Orlando lifted his head, staring at Viggo with wide eyes. "Whatever you think we should do, Viggo, I trust you to take care of me."

Viggo worried his lower lip with his teeth. He hoped that he could protect Orlando the way the young man seemed to think he could.

"We're staying here, Johnny. But I think it might be good if you and I could spend some time away from everyone for a bit. You know what I mean?"

"Yea, I do. Why don't you have Orlando go sit with Charlie for a bit, okay? Then we can talk."

Viggo nodded and watched Johnny step back out of the room to let them get changed. Orlando ducked into the bathroom quickly to clean himself up, Viggo following after a round of soft, reassuring kisses.

Charlie smiled at Orlando almost timidly and handed him a cup of coffee. "So, had a good night so far?"

Orlando just blinked at him and Charlie cringed inwardly. "I mean, I guess you've had a good one until now, yea?"

Orlando nodded slowly as Charlie glanced around for a rock to crawl under.

"You aren't real comfortable around people like me, are you?" Orlando asked.

"I've just never been around anyone like you much. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Sorry."

"It's all right. What do I call you? I'm terrible about names. Never really needed to learn them before."

"You can just call me Charlie."

"Thanks, Charlie. What say we go sit in the front room and talk some?"

As the two men settled in, Viggo and Johnny were trying to work out what they needed to do.

"Johnny, I need your help. I haven't gotten a thing from him since we picked up Orlando. I need to try and connect with him, see what he's planning."

"Viggo...this is dangerous. You know that. It's one thing to be picking him up involuntarily, but it's another thing altogether to break through whatever he's put up to block you."

"I know, but I need to do this! For all we know he could be outside right now. I can't keep Orlando safe if I don't know where Keanu is."

Johnny sighed. Orlando, always Orlando. "What about your safety?"

"Johnny..." Viggo's voice had turned pleading and Johnny felt his heart constrict. Fucking hell. He always knew how to get under his skin.

"All right, all right, let’s get this over with then."

Viggo smiled wanly and reached for Johnny's hand, needing the other man's help to keep him grounded. Johnny opened his fingers and grasped Viggo, the connection point sending tingles through them. Viggo closed his eyes.

"Concentrate, Vig. Concentrate on-the marks he left on your heart, your spirit. It's the only way to find him."

Viggo dipped his head and shut his eyes, breathing deeply. He opened his mind and reached out, searching for any sense of his former lover. It didn't take long to find him. Viggo did his best to stay inside Keanu's mind as long as he could.

After what seemed like moments to Viggo, but Johnny knew had been over five minutes, Viggo lifted his head and released his friend’s hands. The look on his face was hard to read. It was obvious to Johnny that even the few minutes he'd been under had taken a toll on Viggo.

"Vig, you okay? You look kinda pale, man."

"I..." Viggo breathed in shakily and shook his head slowly, as if trying to clear it. "I...shit, Johnny..."

"Just breathe, Viggo. It's all right, you're back now. Just breathe, okay?"

"His mind is such a jumble of confusion and hatred. I wanted to see more, but it scared the hell outta me."

"Did he know you were there? Can you tell if he felt you?" Johnny asked, nervously. Last thing he wanted was Keanu picking up what Viggo was doing, or where he was.

"I don't think so. He seemed to start closing things off, like he might have felt something, but I don't think he got anything off me."

"It took you a long time to be able to get into him enough to tell where he was the last time...so that should help...but we don't need him realizing that he might be able to reach out to you and find you."

Viggo nodded slowly in agreement, some of the imagery that had been so bright in Keanu's head still burning in his own "I better not do that again for a while then. It - it's too draining on me, first of all, and I can't risk him finding us. He's very angry. He seems to think I've done something wrong, something against him, for being with Orlando."

Johnny sat, trying to come up with a way to say things he was sure would upset and hurt Viggo. And that was not anything he wanted to do.

"Vig, he loved you, he lived with you for a long time. Everyone assumed you were the couple that would make it. When you found out about him - about what he did for a living - you threw him out. Hell, Kate threw him out too. And now you're attaching yourself to the man who became his replacement with Kate. Orlando has replaced him with you, too. I can see why he'd feel hurt and angry about things, but he's taken that anger and used it against innocent people."

Viggo sat quietly and stared at the floor for a few minutes, feeling like he needed to sort out a thousand different feelings at once. Finally, he settled on the safest one. "I don't think he's sane anymore. It doesn't matter to him who he's hurting to get to me and Orlando. He's just hurting people because they're there and connected in some way, even...even if it's just the smallest thread."

Johnny nodded his head a little, letting his friend rationalize out loud. It wasn’t anything Johnny hadn’t figured out on his own, but he knew Viggo would get around to the real issue at hand eventually, and as he looked up to find Orlando in the doorway, he wondered if it was going to be sooner rather than later.

~tbc~


	21. Chapter 21

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

Orlando stood watching Viggo and Johnny, chewing nervously at his thumb. The two men were obviously close, maybe he had mistaken Viggo and he was nothing more to him than a play toy.

Johnny looked up, seeing the nervous young man in the doorway and stood up from the bed. The movement brought Viggo's attention away from his clasped hands. Seeing Orlando standing there, looking very lost and unsure, he held out his arms, motioning for the younger man to crawl into them. As they sat wrapped around each other, seeking comfort, Johnny stepped from the room, closing the door behind himself.

"He's upset."

"Keanu is not the man I knew, Angel. He's dangerous now, and he's trying his hardest to find us. Johnny just doesn't want to see anything happen to us."

"Happen to you, you mean?"

"What?"

"I can tell he doesn't like me. It's obvious. Look, if your lover is that upset over us, maybe you shouldn't play around, yea? Johnny's a good man and--"

"Angel, Angel, hush." Viggo gently pressed their lips together, cutting off the younger man's sputtering. "Johnny and I aren't lovers. We were, a long time ago, but we aren't now."

Orlando wanted to believe what Viggo was saying, wanted there to be nothing between him and Johnny, but he could see the way Johnny looked at him sometimes, like Orlando was trying to take something away from Johnny.

“Johnny and I...our relationship is powerful, Orlando. We...we both have the ability to...to connect with others on other levels. Yes, we were lovers once. But that was before Keanu came into my life."

Orlando nodded, watching Viggo's face, trying to tell from the way he looked what he should believe. But then, if there was really anything between the two men, why would Johnny have left them the way he had, or put them together in this room in the first place?

"I don't understand, connect to others?"

"We can hear things and sometimes see things that another person is experiencing, even when we aren't there. Sometimes it's just random, sometimes it's more. This time, it's more - at least for me. I've been hearing Keanu's thoughts for a while now, I just didn't know until he went after you and Kate that it was him."

"What happened with Keanu?"

Viggo sighed softly and kissed Orlando's forehead. "We were in love. I was younger and stupid and so blinded by what I was experiencing that I was willing to let Keanu lead us anywhere, into anything. It wasn't until after we broke up that I realized how much I didn't actually know about him."

"What made you break up?"

"I...was an artist at one point. I worked small odd jobs every now and then to support myself, but my main occupation was painting. I usually did freelance stuff, whatever came to my mind, but sometimes I would be commissioned for things."

"Was an artist? That's not really something you just decide not to do one day."

"For me, it was. I just don't have the desire anymore."

"What happened to change that?" Orlando nuzzled under Viggo's chin.

"I got a call from a wealthy man in town, who he was is not important. What was important was that he wanted me to do a portrait for him, of his lover, something to keep him warm when they weren't together. We arranged a day and time, and I came in early to get set up. He explained that he wanted the painting done in the bedroom, and that his partner would be nude. How I chose to pose it was up to me. We entered the room, I set down my case, and there was Keanu, on the bed with only a sheet covering his midsection. I didn't know what to say or do. I just picked up my case and left. He called after me, but I couldn't turn around. I went to Johnny's for a few days, refused to talk to him. He finally packed up and left the house, and I went home. I learned afterwards that he'd been working for Kate for several years, on a limited basis. I heard that he walked out on her after that, and I hadn’t heard from him since then until he started killing."

"He...worked for...oh...that - that explains a lot," Orlando whispered softly, his mind turning over the story slowly. But...if Viggo broke up with Keanu because he was a hooker, then why was he suddenly so enamored with Orlando?

"Because it wasn't that Keanu was...a prostitute. It was that he was lying to me all that time...sleeping with all those men...behind my back. He-never even hinted to me and to suddenly realize what he had been doing..."

Orlando was wide-eyed for so long Viggo had to laugh softly despite the tears that were threatening to fall. "You spoke out loud, Orlando."

Orlando started to pull away, shaking his head as he tried to move from the bed and Viggo's hold on him.

"I...I just need to...I'm sorry."

"You need to just come here, Angel," Viggo pulled Orlando back to him. "You aren't Keanu, and you haven't done the things he did.”

"I'm still a whore. You deserve better than that."

"No, baby, you were a whore. I'm going to take care of you now."

Orlando's head was still shaking slowly, and he reached up and placed a gentle yet silencing finger on Viggo's lips. "Do you realize how many men have said that to me? How many have tried to convince me to quit what I'm doing and be with them? Let them 'take care of me'? But the thing is...none of them knew who I was. They just knew the boy that could deep throat whatever they threw at me. They didn't know I’m an obsessive-compulsive door checker, even though I can go days without picking up after myself. Or that I hate it when my house guests leave hair in the sink, but yet finding their underwear on my floor a week later doesn't bother me."

"Angel-"

"I don't need someone to take care of me, Viggo. I need someone to love me. And not someone who loves me for what I can do for them in bed. I just need someone who loves me."

Pulling Orlando to sit in his lap, Viggo wrapped his arms around the shaking man.

"That's not what I meant, Angel. What we've done together has been nice, very nice. But I want to be there when you go to sleep and when you wake up. I want to learn all your little habits, and have you learn mine. I don't do casual, baby. That's not what I want. I want the man that's buried inside that beautiful exterior."

Orlando buried his face in Viggo's neck, his voice floating up, muffled and thick. "What I am is a pain in the ass. But if you'll take me, I...I'd like to stay."

"And I would love to have you stay. I'm not exactly perfect either. I'm old, my bones creak and complain in the morning and whenever I stay still for too long, and I'm not exactly the most fun to live with. I tend to forget things, like buying food."

Orlando laughed, lifting his head and kissing the older man's lips. "I think we'll be okay. Together we should figure it out, yea?"  
"Yea, we should."

 

Viggo lowered his mouth to Orlando's, sealing them together, trying to pour everything he felt into this one kiss. Orlando turned closer, wrapping his arms around Viggo's neck and crushing himself to the older man.

Pulling apart, they sat smiling at each other, some of the weight from reading Keanu lifted for now from Viggo's mind. Just as Orlando leaned in for another kiss, there came a knock at the door.

"Viggo, there are a couple of officers out here, and Sean is on his way. You two might want to come join us real soon."

Orlando moved away, slipping his feet off the edge of the bed, Viggo following him.

"Sorry, Angel, we need to take care of some things. But I promise we'll finish this later."

"You bet that tight arse of yours we will."

"Orlando, dear, my arse has long stopped being tight. Trust me."

The younger man laughed, the sound filling Viggo's heart. "I don't know...looks pretty tight to me."

Viggo chuckled and wrapped an arm around Orlando's waist, leading him out of the room.

As they entered the living room, still wrapped around each other, the two uniformed officers stood from the couch, where they'd been talking to Johnny and Charlie. They looked a little shocked to see Viggo and Orlando touching the way they were and obviously very comfortable together.

Johnny stood, "Viggo, Orlando, these are Officers Urban and Parker. They're here to help watch over all of us for a while."

Viggo nodded a greeting and held out his hand.

Johnny smiled a bit as the four men shook hands, the two younger cops looking fairly uncomfortable. “Not sure where I’m going to put you gentleman. We’re just about running out of space. I might have an air mattress around here somewhere.”

Urban exchanged a look with Parker, sighing quietly. “Whatever you can find will be fine, sir, I’m sure.”

As Johnny and the officers started working out how to make things work as well as possible, Sean pulled up in front of the house. Cursing to himself all the way to the front door, he knocked and waited impatiently for someone to answer. As Charlie opened the door, he was met with a scowling detective.

“Who’s the moron who left a patrol car in front of the house? Are we trying to advertise that this is where we have Viggo and Orlando hidden? Get that damn thing moved away from here, as far as possible.”

“We can put it in the back and cover it, Sean. They haven’t been here but a few minutes, I doubt anyone will have noticed,” Johnny said, walking from the kitchen.

But someone had noticed, and now all he needed to do was wait until night for things to settle down.

~tbc~


	22. Chapter 22

Rating: PG – NC17 (NC-17 this chapter)

While Johnny, Urban and Parker moved the patrol car and tarped it off, Sean was settling in at the kitchen table with Viggo, Orlando and Charlie.

"Gentlemen, we need to discuss what has happened, and what needs to be done. Mr. Mortensen..."

"Viggo, please. Let's make this as simple as we can. It's just Viggo and Orlando."

"Certainly. All right, Viggo, I'm trying very hard to understand everything we've discussed. I've spoken with a friend who's knowledgeable on the subject of your gifts, and I have a better understanding of what you do. I also understand that you had a relationship with our suspect, Mr. Reeves, and that is why you have been seeing things. Am I right so far?"

"Close enough, Detective, although I didn't realize it was Keanu until after he had taken Orlando and Kate."

"Have you had anymore contact with Reeves since?"

Viggo nodded slightly, feeling Orlando's warm hand encompass his own. "I slipped into him briefly to see if he knew where we were. He didn't at the time, but he was searching."

"Isn't that...dangerous?"

"It was exhausting," Viggo admitted softly. "But I don't think he could read me and tell where I was, if that's what you mean."

Sean nodded, trying still to grasp everything that was happening with this case. He knew the department used psychics in rare cases, but he'd never been involved with them.

Turning to Orlando, he asked "So, Orlando, let me make sure we have everything straight from your end. You worked for Ms Bosworth, Kate, as an escort. She had arranged a date for you with a new client. While you were waiting for this person, Mr. Reeves used something to knock you out and took you hostage. You woke up to find him arguing with Kate, and saw him kill her. Is that correct?"

"Mostly. Escort, that sounds much nicer than what I really do. Keanu was the person who made the appointment. He'd paid Kate in advance for my services, in cash, using another name. They were arguing, fighting. Kate was screaming at him about what he'd done to some of the other guys, how he'd been the one that killed them, and how he was crazy. That's when he killed her."

Sean nodded slowly, checking back with his notes and penciling in some new things here and there, his handwriting small and cramped. "Do you know why Keanu focused in on you as his final victim? Considering he took the time to grab Ms. Bosworth as well, we figure that he had planned on you being his last."

Orlando looked up at Viggo, not wanting to hurt the older man by revealing what they had talked about. Viggo's eyes softened, touched by the show of concern, and he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Orlando's forehead. "It's all right, baby. Answer his question."

Orlando leaned into Viggo's touch, then looked back at Sean. "I held the position Keanu used to when he worked for Kate. It was the position which broke Viggo and him up."

"So," Sean stopped to process this, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it, inhaling deeply, "Keanu was a prostitute? And you were unaware of that, Viggo? I see. Well, I can understand there must have been circumstances that were quite upsetting, for you both."

The sound of the front door banging open and the three other men returning to the house drew the attention of the kitchen’s occupants.

"All set, boss. The cars have been moved and covered." Craig came in and plopped down onto a chair.

Sean sighed and shook his head. "Just try not to advertise we're here, okay? This is not the best neighborhood. Next thing you know you two knuckleheads will have the damn Bat signal on the roof or some shit."

Karl pretended to look hurt, but it didn't last long. He knew they had screwed up, and that the detective was tired, very tired.

"We'll keep a low profile, sir. How long are we here for, anyway?" Urban asked.

"Until we find Reeves, or have to move everyone again."

Sean stayed for a while longer, continuing to discuss information with Viggo and Orlando, and Johnny when he finally settled down to listen. Finally it was getting to late afternoon, and Sean gathered up his notes, thanking everyone for their help, and headed back to the station. He missed having Charlie around to help with things, like all the data entry he was facing tonight. But it just couldn't be helped right now.

The men watched Sean leave, then all turned to Johnny with hopeful looks on their faces. "So...what's for dinner?" Craig finally asked, his hands resting on his midsection almost pleadingly.

Johnny arched an eyebrow. "Mummy hasn't been home in a week, children," he shot back sarcastically. "So you can fill your tummies with whatever you can find that's not spoiled or moldy."

"But...that's not very nice," Karl pouted, his eyes big and round.

"Oh please. How old are you all? Just order something."

Johnny chuckled at Viggo's plea and threw a stack of menus at them. "Make it from one of those places though; they know who I am and it won't be suspicious."

Viggo chuckled, watching the exchange between the other men. Johnny was very comfortable with them, to be kidding around like he was. He watched as they all scrambled through and argued over the menus, until finally agreeing on pizza.

After everyone was done eating and all were sitting somewhere, watching TV, talking, trying to work out the night, Viggo sat in the lone large chair, Orlando curled up in his lap, fingers starting to roam under the edge of his shirt to play in the soft hair on his belly.

"Orlando..." Viggo murmured softly, kissing the young man's head, a very slight warning in his voice.

"Hmm?" The boy tilted his head up, smiling innocently.

"If those fingers of yours go any lower, the boys around us will be getting a show whether they like it or not."

Orlando grinned and wound his fingers in the hair, tugging gently, watching as Viggo's teeth bit down on his lower lip. "I bet they'd enjoy it."

Grabbing Orlando's hand, Viggo stared into his eyes, noticing the smirk that spread across Orlando's face.

"Well, guys," he said clearing his throat, "I think we're off to bed. See you all in the morning."

Getting up, he pulled Orlando after him, shutting the door with a healthy thud and pressing the young man up against the first flat surface he could reach, sealing their mouths together and grinding his hard shaft against Orlando's equally swollen flesh.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Charlie was groaning while Johnny laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Karl and Craig in unison.

"Oh, you'll hear, in just a few minutes," Johnny chuckled.

Viggo's blood was pumping and blocking out the distant noise from the living room as their bodies fell onto the bed together, fingers tugging and grasping at clothes, both desperate to feel skin on skin contact.

"God, Angel, you feel so perfect," Viggo murmured, his hands and mouth roaming across any available bare skin.

Orlando moaned softly, arching his body up into Viggo's soft, feathery touches. "I may feel perfect, but you are perfect."

Viggo chuckled against Orlando's skin, biting down gently before slowly lifting his head. "I want you inside me tonight, Angel."

Orlando froze. "I...I've...ummm, I've never done that. I don't want to do something that might hurt you."

"You won't, Angel. We'll just go slow, but I really need this. Need to belong to you like you belong to me."

Orlando slowly shifted so Viggo could lie down on his back on the bed. "I - I don't know about this, Viggo...it makes me really nervous."

"I'll help you," his lover murmured, reaching for the lube and bending his knees while spreading his legs until his feet were flat on the mattress and his small hole was exposed to Orlando's gaze. "How about I prepare myself first? Will that help you, baby?"

"God you’re beautiful. I never thought someone would want me like you do. And not just the sex, but WANT me." Looking up at Viggo with big nervous eyes, Orlando nodded slightly, "Yeah...yeah, I think so."

Viggo popped the lid on the bottle, anointing his fingers with the cool viscous gel, then reached down between his legs searching for his opening. Finding it, he circled his fingers a few times, spreading some of the fluid before plunging a finger inside himself.

"Oh Christ..." Orlando groaned, watching as Viggo's own finger moved slowly inside his hole. "Shit that's so...fuckin' sinful..."

Viggo grinned slowly, wiggling his hips a little at the erotic feel of breaching himself with his finger. “Wanna...see another, baby?"

Orlando nodded, not really able to say much, trying to keep control of his own reaction to watching Viggo. He leaned forward, wanting to touch Viggo, to try and add to the pleasure that Orlando knew he was experiencing. He wanted to try and make this be them, together. Running a tentative hand up the inside of Viggo's thigh, he grazed his fingers across the weeping erection lying on Viggo's stomach.

"Baby, don't do that. I'll be done before we start, and I want you in me when I come."

Orlando grinned but slowly moved his fingers away, downward, touching the stretched rim experimentally. "I've never...I've never had the opportunity to really experience pleasure. I - I've been used for it, but..."

"...But there's a difference," Viggo finished quietly, nodding a little. "Do you want...to help me now?"

Orlando nodded and reached for the lube, slicking his fingers slowly. Viggo smiled and spread his legs wider, moaning as Orlando slid one finger in slowly next to Viggo's own.

"Oh fu-fuck!" The older man groaned, his head thudding back against the headboard.

Orlando watched intently as his finger disappeared inside Viggo. He was amazed at how tight and hot it was inside him. Looking up to watch Viggo's face he experimented with moving in and out, knowing that there was a spot that was going to make Viggo see stars. He felt his finger graze against a small bump and Viggo groaned loudly, pressing down onto Orlando's finger, his free hand grasping at the bedding under him.

Orlando grinned with victory and rubbed that spot again, gently nudging Viggo's own fingers to get into the game to arouse his lover as much as possible. Orlando's own cock surged with each twist of Viggo's muscular body.

"Angel, please, if you don't stop...fuck...I'm going to...please..." Viggo's words came out in pants and Orlando nodded slowly, withdrawing his fingers as Viggo did his own. The older man moaned at the sensation, then reached with a shaking hand to reclaim the lube, squeezing some in his hand and wrapping his fingers around Orlando's cock.

Shuddering at the cool fluid being slathered on his hot shaft, Orlando held his breath, trying to gain enough control to follow through with what Viggo wanted, what he now wanted.

When Viggo let go of the weeping shaft, Orlando moved to position himself between Viggo's spread thighs. Moving Viggo's legs up to his shoulders, Orlando leaned forward, pressing the thick head against his lover’s moist opening. Taking a deep breath, he slowly pressed forward, remembering how it felt for him, and what felt the best. Viggo winced at the first press inward, unused to having a lover for so long, scaring Orlando.

"Don't stop, Angel, it's all right. I want this, want you."

"But I'm hurting you."

"Please, baby. Just keep going. I need you so damn bad." Viggo reached forward and placed his hands on Orlando's slim hips, gently tugging him forward and closer. Orlando took a deep breath and allowed Viggo to guide him, keeping his eyes trained on the older man's face, looking for any hint of further pain. Finally he was fully sheathed within the tight heat of Viggo's body, and they both moaned loudly, panting with pleasure.

"God, Vig, I never knew.....this feels so amazing, you're so hot.....so tight."

"You really never have done this, have you? Okay baby, now the good part - move."

Orlando pulled back slightly and pushed forward, settling a little deeper this time. Viggo rumbled his approval and moved his body against Orlando, encouraging him to keep moving. The more they rocked together, the more noises Viggo made, the more confident Orlando became. Soon they had a steady, strong rhythm and both were voicing their pleasure loudly.

Meanwhile in the other room, Johnny and Charlie were trying to not laugh out loud at Karl and Craig’s reactions to the noises from the back room.

"We tried to warn you," Charlie laughed, tilting his head back against the couch as Karl shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"They're gonna keep it up all night too probably," Johnny chimed in, although his smile just didn't reach his eyes.

Charlie's smile turned slightly bitter and he stood. "Well, let’s see what we can do about making you boys as comfortable as possible, okay?"

Craig and Karl nodded, eager to have something else to occupy their minds as Johnny stood and peeked out the window. Something had come over him, something wasn't right. But he couldn't see anything wrong, he couldn't see the dark figure standing in the shadows, waiting for all to go quiet in the house, waiting for his opportunity to get his final revenge.

As the men in the other part of the house adjusted furniture, and turned up the television to drown out noise, Viggo and Orlando were reaching their peak.

Orlando could feel Viggo shuddering around him as his own thrusts into the molten channel became more and more erratic. Viggo reached between them to grasp his own cock just as Orlando moved to stroke him. Together they worked the pulsing rod until Viggo gasped, arching almost off the bed. As thick strands of white erupted across their fingers and coated them both, a guttural moan pierced the air. It was all too much for Orlando, who rammed into Viggo hard one last time before filling him with every drop that Orlando held in his tight sacks, a matching groan emitting from deep inside.

Collapsing in an exhausted heap, Orlando was wrapped in Viggo's shaking arms and held fast, kisses being pressed to his hair.

They were so tired, so enraptured with each other, they never saw the movement outside, the shadowy figure who now waited for the house to darken for the night, and his chance to spirit the two sated men away.

~tbc~


	23. Chapter 23

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

Viggo and Orlando shifted in the bed, grabbing a discarded shirt to wipe themselves off, and curling around each other, drifting off to sleep. In the other room, the rest of the occupants of the house breathed a silent sigh of relief that things had settled down, at least for right now.

"You were kidding about them going on all night, right Johnny?" asked a nervous sounding Craig.

"You never know, bud. But I'd expect at least one more round tonight."

As the men settled in, and drifted off to wherever they would be sleeping, the dark figure that had been waiting for just the right moment stealthily picked the lock on the kitchen door.

The door swung open with barely a squeak, the figure quietly entering the room and looking around slowly, his ears hearing only the soft breathing and snoring that was coming from the living room. He nodded to himself and made his way across the kitchen to the back room, easing open the door and slipping inside.

Keanu stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the sleeping men wound around each other in the large bed.

Fingering the knife in his hand, he crept forward, kneeling next to Orlando. Lifting the knife to point at the long slender throat, he pressed the tip against the flesh firmly while clasping a hand over Orlando's mouth.

Orlando woke with a shock, his system still slow to respond and his brain fogged with sleep. He twisted a bit, only to feel the sharp bite of a blade into the soft skin of his throat. His eyes went wide and fear raced through his body as he felt a hand wrap around his throat in warning.

"Do not move. Do not scream. Do not wake your fuck-toy or I will kill you," Keanu whispered in his ear, the man's hot breath sending shudders down his prisoner's spine.

Orlando suppressed the scream rising in his throat. He knew that voice, and the terror rising in him as he realized that his would-be killer was now in the same room, ready to kill him and probably Viggo, made his blood run cold.

"Move, boy, off the bed. And don't wake 'him' up. We're getting dressed."

Orlando slid as carefully as he could off the bed, the knife still held to his throat, and pulled on the track pants that were lying on the floor.

"I should have fucked you when I had the chance," came the taunting voice in his ear again, and Orlando shuddered. "Such a pretty little whore."

Keanu reached into his back pocket and pulled out a length of rope. "Hands behind your back. That's a good pup."

Orlando winced at the sneer in Keanu's voice and the pain from the rough rope on his wrists as his captor tied them tightly.

Once he had Orlando's hands bound, Keanu pulled a scarf from his pocket, gagging the young man.

"Okay, honey," Keanu sneered, "let's wake up lover boy. You two are going to take a little ride with me."

Holding the knife back at Orlando's throat, Keanu jostled the bed, causing Viggo to roll back towards where Orlando should have been. When his seeking hand didn't find a warm body next to him, Viggo's eyes slowly opened, searching for Orlando, and finding him standing near the end of the bed. As Viggo started to sit up and ask what was wrong, he realized that they weren't alone, and that Orlando was bound.

"B-Baby?" he murmured, sitting up quickly, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Baby? Baby? Oh, that's rich. So you even call him baby too, huh? You really had to replace me all the way, didn't you?"

Viggo's blood ran cold at that voice, his heart starting to pound. No. Not here, not now when he couldn't defend them! "Keanu...Keanu, let him go."

Orlando whimpered as the knife bit into his neck sharply as Viggo made a sudden move to get out of bed, a little drop of blood bubbling to the surface and slipping down his skin. "You move again without me telling you, my knife slips. Maybe he'll live, maybe he won't. Care to take that chance?"

Viggo stared in horror as blood trickled down Orlando's neck. He couldn't take any chances that Keanu would follow through with his threat.

"What do you want, Keanu? What can I do to make you turn Orlando loose?"

"Not a thing, stud. Just quietly get your ass out of that bed and get dressed. We're going for a little ride, and you're driving."

"I - I will not help you get away with this. Let Orlando go."

Keanu grinned darkly and grabbed the young man's hair, yanking Orlando's head back hard and exposing the veins that had been hidden. He took the tip of the knife and made another nick, dangerously close to one of the blue lines. "Get up. Get changed. And let’s go. Now."

Viggo moved slowly to the side of the bed, putting his feet on the floor and reaching for his jeans and shirt.

"It's okay, Orlando, everything will be all right," he said in a very low voice, trying to reassure the obviously terrified man.

As he stood, ready to go, he had to shove his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out to brush away the tears that were trickling down Orlando's cheeks.

"I'm ready, but how do you expect to get away with this, Keanu? There's a room full of sleeping officers out there. Someone's going to hear or see something."

"Not if you keep your damn mouths shut. And if you do wake them, pretty boy here is history. Now, let's go."

Viggo slowly took the lead, moving where Keanu could see him at all times. As they walked out of the bedroom, he looked around desperately, wishing he could do something to alert the sleeping men. But Keanu had that knife to Orlando's throat. He couldn't risk it.

'Johnny, Johnny, for Christ's sake, please wake up,' be begged silently, squeezing his eyes closed for a moment and wishing this stuff worked like it did in the movies.

All too soon he was at the door and he slowly pulled it open, glancing behind him desperately one last time before leading Keanu and his hostage outside.

Keanu directed them down the sidewalk and around the corner, where an older sedan sat, waiting. Telling Viggo to get behind the wheel, he shoved Orlando in the back, and crawled in with him. Handing Viggo the keys, he told him to start moving.

"Where are we going, Keanu? I can't just drive around all night."

"You know where we're going, Viggo. My place."

Viggo nodded and turned the car in the direction of the old factory. He prayed that when they found Orlando and him missing, they'd think to check there first.

As Viggo was pulling away from the curb, Johnny sat up in bed. He could have sworn he heard Viggo calling to him. Pulling on his pants, he went downstairs to check on the men in the back room.

"Everybody up! Now!" Johnny's panicked voice filled the house not a moment after he had pushed the door open and found an empty bed.

"Viggo! Orlando!" he called desperately, making only one attempt to find them before alerting the groggy officers that the men were missing. "Charlie, get Sean on the phone now! Craig, Karl, come with me."

"Where-where are we going?" Karl stuttered through a yawn, running his fingers through his hair and shrugging his button-up shirt back on his shoulders, the blue uniform top covering the white undershirt he had slept in.

"To Keanu's home. I'm just damn glad I know where it is already. Get moving!"

At the sound of the panic in Johnny's voice, and the word 'Keanu', every eye in the building turned to watch the frantic man.

"MOVE IT! They can't have much of a head start, and we need to get there before anything can happen.

As everyone scrambled to grab their gear, Charlie was dialing Sean's house. When he got no answer, he tried Sean's cell. He answered after only a couple of rings.

"Whoever this is, it better be damn important," Sean growled into the phone.

"Sean, it's Charlie. We have a major problem, sir. Viggo and Orlando are missing. Johnny just left with Karl and Craig, he said he's heading for the old factory. He thinks they're with Reeves."

"Jesus fuck. Do you have a car? Can you meet me there? I'm calling for backup and we'll be there as fast as we can."

"Yes, yes, my car's still here. I'll see you there." Charlie hung up the phone and practically threw himself out of the house and into his car, starting it up and moving so fast out of the driveway the entire neighborhood heard the squeal.

Meanwhile, it seemed to Viggo that Keanu was acting entirely too calm. He had to know that the officers would find them missing and come after them, didn't he? And yet he never even broke a sweat as Viggo pulled up in front of the old factory. He had him turn off the car. "Take the keys out and give them to me. My free hand is right by your head. Good boy. Now keep your hands on that steering wheel. Don't piss me off or else your little fuck cunt here dies."

Keanu maneuvered out of the car, dragging Orlando with him and keeping the knife at the young man's throat. Orlando was trembling hard, tears constantly dripping down his face, and it tore at Viggo's heart whenever he caught a glimpse of him in his review mirror.

"All right now, Viggo. Out of the car, nice and easy. Let's go inside and see what fun I have planned for you two."

Viggo stepped out, closing the car door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he started up the front stairs of the building. Once inside, he hesitated, unsure where exactly Keanu wanted them to go.

"Down the stairs to the left. First door on the right will work just fine."

Viggo looked over his shoulder, checking on Orlando before starting down into the dark basement of the old building.

~tbc~


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Major character death (not the boys), and attempted rape

Rating: PG – NC17 (NC-17 this chapter)

As Viggo opened the door into the room Keanu had directed them to, he stopped to stare at the contents for a moment. The room wasn't that large, holding only a table, chair and small bed. But the walls were decorated with photos of himself and Orlando, alone and together. Including a few from their night at Viggo's, in bed.

Impatient with Viggo stopping in the doorway, Keanu shoved his foot into Viggo's back. "Get the hell inside, we don't have that much time, and I have plans for you two."

"Keanu, this - this is sick," Viggo whispered, his stomach churning at the sight of he and Orlando in such intimate poses. "What happened to you?"

"You're no psychologist, Viggo. Now shut the fuck up and take off your clothes."

"Ex-excuse me?"

"Get naked. Now," Keanu growled, pushing Orlando down into a chair roughly and using more rope to keep him down.

Viggo took a step towards Keanu, wanting to stop him from hurting Orlando further. But Keanu noticed the movement and stood rapidly, pressing the blade to Orlando's throat.

"I wouldn't try anything, Viggo. You don't want pretty boy here to miss all the fun I have planned, do you? Now strip, and then step over to the table."

Viggo moved back away from where Orlando was now tied to the chair, his mouth still filled with the scarf. He looked terrified. Viggo slowly toed off his shoes, praying that someone would get there soon to save them.

"Stop wasting time, honey," Keanu hissed, holding the blade tighter to Orlando's throat.

Viggo closed his eyes and reaching up, pulled his shirt over his head. Keanu licked his lips at the sight, the slight quiver of fear in the man's muscles making him harden.

"The rest," he rasped, arching his hips forward a bit, Orlando squirming and whimpering at the shameful feeling of the killer rubbing his erection against him.

The tears that fell down his lover's cheeks broke Viggo's heart in two, and his mind cried out in helpless fury and anguish, while just blocks away Johnny's eyes widened as his foot pressed harder on the gas, the car's engine revving and struggling to keep up with the breakneck speed he was demanding of it.

Finally Viggo stood in the middle of the floor, naked, Keanu obviously enjoying the sight.

"Table, face first, and don't try anything," Keanu rasped.

Viggo looked back at Orlando one last time. He knew what was about to happen, but if it bought a little more time, time for Johnny to get to them, then he'd have to endure it and pray for the best.

As Viggo stretched himself across the surface of the small table, Keanu moved behind him, his empty hand running down Viggo's back and stroking across his firm ass.

"I’m going to enjoy this," Keanu muttered, unfastening his pants and pulling out his hard cock, stroking it a few times before leaning over the prone figure. "You still open after you let that boy fuck you?" he rasped into Viggo’s ear as his hand sought and found Viggo's tight opening. "Sure hope so, makes this a lot easier."

As Keanu pressed a finger inside, testing to see how loose Viggo still was, he continued to taunt him.

"Want to hear what I have planned for you and your whore?"

Viggo shook his head. He knew what Keanu planned, he didn't need to hear any of it. His only hope was that when he was done forcing himself on Viggo that he'd just kill them, and not put Orlando through anything more.

"Do you really think I care what you want anymore?" Keanu grasped Viggo’s balls, almost crushing them with his grip. "I think you really do want to hear this, makes the time we have together more interesting if you know what I have planned."

Viggo shuddered, the hate and malice in Keanu's voice wasn't the man he'd loved, the pain he caused could not be inflicted by the same person who'd shared his bed and his life.

"First," Keanu continued, releasing his grasp on Viggo and returning to opening him up, "I'm going to take back what was mine. And you are mine, you just forgot for a while. When I'm done with you, I'm going to tie you to the bed, let you rest, while I take care of that whore. I'm going to make sure no one would ever want his pretty face again, and then when I'm done rearranging his looks, we're going to lie here together and wait for him to die. Once he's gone, there's no reason for you to not come back to me."

Viggo shook his head desperately, the visions that Keanu described were made even more devastating by the mental images that he was getting from his ex-lover. They were so vivid and cruel, almost as if Keanu knew that Viggo could see them, as if he had figured out that Viggo was able to slip into his mind even when he didn’t want to.

“Keanu…you loved me once. You have to know that…that this isn’t the way to get me back. It’s not going to do you any good to hurt him just to get to me,” Viggo whispered, his voice trembling, the mental strain of being forced to view Keanu’s twisted threats taxing him.

“Oh, no. You’re not getting off that easily, Viggo. I know you. You won’t let that kid go until he’s dead. I could cut off his dick and balls too and you’d still want the deformed creature. You’re too soft with everyone…everyone but me, of course”

“I was hurting, Keanu! For Christ’s sake, just let it go! You don’t need to hurt him like that. I’ll be your pet, your slave, whatever the hell you want, just don’t touch Orlando!”

Keanu only laughed and pressed up against Viggo, his cock bumping against the small entrance to Viggo’s body. “You never let me do this, Viggo, and now you’re going to pay for letting that little whore do it first.”

Orlando tried to scream out behind his gag, tears streaming down his face, his body fighting against the ropes. He couldn't let this happen, not to his Viggo. He had to do something, someone had to do something, please, please, please-

"Stop it, you mad fucker, or else I will shoot you where you stand."

Johnny's voice was so hard and deep that it sent chills over Orlando's already cold body. He stared through blurry eyes at the man, standing in the doorway with his gun leveled at Keanu's head, a depthless anger shining in his eyes.

Keanu stood up, dropping the knife he'd been holding and pulling his pants closed.

"Welcome to my home, Johnny. Long time, no see. The boys and I were just going to have a little fun."

Keanu kept his hands where they could be seen, but moved slowly towards Johnny, talking in a low, soft tone, trying to lull the officer into a sense of security.

Just as he seemed to be slowing and Johnny felt he had things under control, Keanu lunged for Johnny, landing them both on the floor in a tangle of limbs. As they struggled, Johnny trying to keep control of the situation, the gun went off. Rolling away from Johnny, Keanu smiled as blood spread across Johnny’s shirt.

But even as Keanu stood there victorious, Charlie ran through the door, his own weapon drawn. "Drop it or I'll shoot!"

Keanu swung around to face to red-faced young officer, an evil smile spreading across his face.

Viggo had risen from the table, wanting to get to his friend on the floor and care for him, wanting to release Orlando. But before he could do anything, he had a flash of the turmoil running through Keanu's mind. As his former lover started to move towards Charlie, Viggo screamed.

"No! Keanu!"

But before Viggo could do anything to stop Keanu, Charlie fired a single shot, and Viggo watched Keanu melt to the floor.

Viggo looked wildly between the three men, who all had been the most important person in his life at different times. He was spared one choice as Craig entered and made his way quickly to a distraught Orlando, and after a moment’s hesitation went over to Johnny and knelt down, taking his friend in his arms. "Hold on, Johnny, please, fuck Johnny, don't leave me."

"Vig...Shut up," Johnny whispered hoarsely. "I don't need your never-ending stream of conscious right now."

Viggo closed his eyes as he felt a shaking pair of arms wrapped around him, and he leaned into the embrace of his lover without moving any further away from Johnny. The injured man looked up at them both. "I've been jealous of you for a long time, Orlando. I'm sorry. Viggo and I are too similar to survive together. I see that now. Treat him well."

"Johnny, don't. You need to save your strength. Help will be here soon."

As Viggo sat cradling his friend, there was a commotion from outside the door, and Captain Jones came bustling through to drop down next to Viggo.

"You need to get some clothes on and take care of your young man," Tommy looked Viggo in the eye, "I'll take care of Johnny. He's going to be just fine."

As Viggo reluctantly gave up his spot in the floor to the older man, Orlando pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face in Viggo's neck.

"I'm so sorry, Angel, so sorry. I promised to protect you and I didn't when it counted most and I'm so-"

"Shhh..." Orlando whispered, trembling hard. "Your friend was hurt. I wasn't. You - you were going to let... Reeves... all so... he wouldn't hurt me... I'm sorry I'm so weak."

"No," Viggo gently framed Orlando's face with his hands, looking into his teary eyes. "No, you're not weak. You're my strength."

Pressing his lips to Orlando's, Viggo kissed him gently, wanting to take away all the terror Orlando had felt, to make him feel loved and secure again.

Breaking apart, they both smiled as Charlie stood next to them, Viggo's clothes in his hands.

"I thought you'd probably want these. Probably getting a little cold."

"Thanks, Charlie. It is a little chilly in here." Looking over to where Keanu was lying in a dark pool, he watched as Cate stood up, Sean on one side and Karl on the other. "Is he...."

Cate nodded, "I'm sorry, I think. He's gone."

Viggo finished pulling his shirt over his head before gathering Orlando back against him.

As Viggo clutched at his younger lover, Sean was walking into a scene of complete and utter mayhem. Johnny was apparently being kept awake by Jones, of all people, Charlie and Kate were staring at a rather messy body, and Orlando and Viggo were as far away from the body as they could get, wrapped around each other. The detective took a deep breath and moved bravely to them, reaching out a hand and setting it on Viggo's shoulder.

"Are you two unharmed?" he asked quietly, knowing better than to use a phrase like "okay."

"Orlando's a little scratched up, but he's not bleeding anymore," Viggo said softly. "I don't think a trip to the ER is necessary."

Orlando shook his head. "I think we're going to be fine. But is the ambulance ever going to get here for Johnny?"

Just then, two men with a stretcher entered the room carrying a medical bag, and bent over Johnny. Tommy tried to move out of the way to let them work, but Johnny kept a firm grip on his hand. The EMT's worked to check everything out and clean him up before transporting him to the hospital. As they loaded Johnny onto the stretcher to move him, they turned to let the worried men in the room know that he was going to be all right.

"It's a clean wound, went in and out without hitting anything major. You can probably see him at the hospital in a few hours, after they finish with him in the ER."

"Thank you," Viggo said, moving away from Orlando to touch Johnny.

"Don't worry about him, Viggo. I'll be with him, he won't be alone," Tommy told him, starting to step away to follow the stretcher up the stairs.

Orlando smiled a little at the man he knew quite well, and Tommy couldn't help but return the smile. "Glad you're okay, kid," he murmured gruffly, giving the younger man a pat on the shoulder before returning his attention to Johnny.

Orlando smiled a little at Viggo's raised eyebrow. "That story is for another day, lover. Another day. I'm exhausted. Take me home."

~tbc~


	25. Chapter 25

Rating: PG – NC17 (R this chapter)

 

Two months after Keanu's death and Johnny's injury, the men and women involved in the case gathered back at Club Zero.

Johnny sat with his new partner, Tommy, both men looking like they couldn't be happier. Viggo sat across from them, watching the love of his life dance to the pounding music that filled the building.

"He looks good with that kid," Tommy's voice filtered over to Viggo through the music, and Viggo smiled a little. Orlando did look rather attractive dancing with Elijah, he had to admit, and he shifted a bit in his chair, only to earn soft laughter from Johnny.

"He's just kidding, Viggo. No need to go into possessive mode. Elijah wouldn't dare try anything and you know it."

Viggo grinned. They were right, Orlando would never look at another man, he was too devoted to Viggo.

"So, Johnny, who else is coming tonight?"

"Karl and Craig said they were, Sean and Cate promised to make an appearance, and Charlie said he'd try."

As they sat there talking and watching as the music changed, Elijah drifted off to the bar, leaving Orlando to gyrate on his own. Sean and Cate sat down to join the growing table.

"This is....different," Sean said slowly, looking over the mass of writhing bodies. "I don't think I'm gonna make a habit of coming here, however."

Cate grinned and settled herself on his lap. "Poor manly Sean. You should have seen the effort it took me to get him here, Viggo...I practically had to offer to blow him in the car to get him over here."

Tommy arched an eyebrow, struggling not to slip into the "disapproving commanding officer" facade he had left behind when he retired from the force. But Johnny saved him as he leaned forward. "So did you?"

Cate laughed and daintily dabbed her lips with her fingers, much to Sean's growing mortification. "You'll never know, Johnny."

Viggo, Johnny and Tommy chuckled, watching Sean sputter as his cheeks turned red.

"Oh, Seanie, I'm just teasing," Cate said, kissing him thoroughly.

As the music changed again, Orlando came bouncing up, grabbing Viggo's beer and downing most of the glass in a single draw. Settling himself into Viggo's lap, he kissed Viggo deeply before turning to the others and grinning like the happy young man he was.

Sean finally smiled a little, glad to see the couple so happy even if their displays of affection still made him a bit uncomfortable. But compared to what was going on around them, the kiss was just a chaste peck.

"Hey, Seanie!" Orlando cried out, grinning and leaning over to peck his cheek, taking delight in making the senior detective uncomfortable. "We've missed you, Mr. I'm Too Important Now to See My Friends."

"I knew all that fame would go to his head," Tommy finally spoke up with a smirk, tugging Johnny a bit closer as the man had tried to wander off after a waiter in hot pants. His excuse of just wanting a drink was drowned out by Sean's blatant denial.

Viggo kissed the top of Orlando's head. "Why don't you go back out and have a little more fun, Angel. I'm going to sit here and talk for a while."

Orlando downed the rest of Viggo's drink and wandered back off in search of someone to dance with.

"So, Viggo, how are you two. You look very happy."

"Good, Sean, really good. He's been the answer to everything I needed. He's been taking care of the house, and is learning to cook. He’s been trying so hard to help with things so I can focus on painting again. His love and help have given me back my art. And after I sold those two new pieces, we're talking about finding a new house and moving to a different neighborhood. Something without so many old memories tied to it."

Johnny leaned back in Tommy's arms, listening to the two talk and throwing in smart-ass comments every few minutes, earning him teasing smacks from his lover. Before he found Tom, Viggo's statement would have punched a hole in his heart, would have stolen his breath away at how unfair it was. But Johnny was whole, just like Viggo, due to the handful he had gotten himself into with the retired captain. The man was an ornery loner, and yet under that hard exterior Johnny had found an amazing, tender person in the man who was little more than a stranger when he spent days at Johnny's bedside in the hospital.

And somehow, when they had all finally sat down together for dinner after Johnny got home from the hospital, and Orlando had come clean about knowing Tommy and how they’d met, it hadn't hurt like he thought it should have. Viggo had come to terms easily with Orlando having been a prostitute, and Johnny with Tom being a former customer. All was right with the world.

Noticing that Viggo was without a drink, Tommy flagged down a waiter and ordered another round. Sitting there talking, they returned to watching the energy of Orlando and Elijah on the dance floor until Charlie and his date arrived.

"Hey, everyone. I'd like you to meet Liv."

Viggo and Johnny grabbed chairs, pulling them up for the couple to sit, and waved the waiter down again.

"So, what'd we miss? Where's Orlando?"

"Out there," Viggo gestured to the dance floor, leaning back in his chair, "Working his hardest to get me jealous."

Sean chuckled and arched an eyebrow at Charlie and his date. "I knew you were doing more than just talking about the case."

Charlie blushed in the dim light of the club, but Liv only smiled coyly and shook her head. "I was perfectly professional at all times, Detective. Although, if you'd like to talk with me off the record--"

"No comment," Sean chuckled, kissing Cate's cheek. "Unless you want some tips on how to get a straight man into a gay club."

Viggo turned back to the table, smiling at the odd collection of friends he'd made. It seemed so long ago that he'd been alone.

"Um, Vig? You might want to go rescue your man. He seems to have an overly friendly male problem."

Viggo turned to find Orlando being hustled by a much larger man. Getting up from the table, he walked across the floor, coming up behind Orlando and wrapping his arms around the younger man.

"Everything okay, Angel?"

"Everything's fine now, love. I was just explaining to this nice man I don't do that anymore."

Viggo squeezed his lover gently, staring the man down with a simple arched eyebrow. Finally the guy shrugged and turned away. Viggo watched him go, stroking Orlando's belly through his lover's shirt. These things happened every now and then when they went out, although the frequency was slowly decreasing, thankfully. Orlando didn't need those reminders of the days before Viggo, and the older man was on a mission to make them all disappear.

Viggo was distracted out of his thoughts by his lover shifting against him and humping subtly in time with the music. Viggo chuckled and nipped at his ear. "Little minx."

Leaning his head back on Viggo's shoulder, shifting himself in time to the music against the growing bulge pressing into his ass, Orlando sighed. "A boy’s gotta do what a boy can. Think we've been here long enough, we can go home and shag like bunnies?"

"Without the babies, of course," Viggo affirmed with a grin, reaching up to gently tip Orlando's head to the side so they could kiss, his mouth taking complete possession of the younger man's.

Catcalls from the table of 'get a room' and 'more - more' finally broke them apart.

Pulling away slightly, Viggo murmured against Orlando's lips. "You know, they're probably right, unless you want to try it right here in the middle of the floor."

"No, I think I'd rather have our own big bed. Take me home, stud."

As they walked back to the table, Charlie watched Johnny.

"You okay, John?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. That would have hurt once, but not anymore. I have all the man I need right here," he said, leaning over and kissing Tommy.

Charlie smiled. "I think we all have everything we need now, yea?"

Johnny couldn't help but chuckle into the kiss until he had to break it to say goodbye to the two lovebirds. "Go home and fuck him silly," he ordered with a grin. Viggo laughed and nodded, slipping his hand into Orlando's back pocket and leading him away, towards the exit and a nice soft bed. Or a hard wall. Or whatever surface popped into his mind to use once they got outside the building.

Everything they needed indeed.

~the end~


End file.
